Details of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's first dates in new book

Britain's Prince Harry and his fiancee Meghan Markle. Photo / AP

A new book by royal biographer Andrew Morton has revealed the inside story of how Prince Harry and Meghan Markle met, detailing their road to their upcoming wedding.

Meghan: A Hollywood Princess tells all - from the blind date set up by a friend to the events that bonded them together, leading to May 19's royal wedding.

According to an excerpt published in the New York Times, while Meghan Markle was in London, she was working closely with Violet von Westenholz, a Ralph Lauren public relations executive.

Violet's father, Baron Piers von Westenholz, is a friend of Prince Charles and for years, the family joined the royals on annual ski trips.

The book says it "seems likely" that Violet set up Meghan and Prince Harry on their blind date in July.

"Upon meeting Meghan and learning that she had given a speech at a UN forum, the prince realised — as he subsequently confessed — that he would have to up his game," the excerpt reads.

They went their separate ways after that first date but Prince Harry extended an invitation to meet again the following day and Markle accepted. They enjoyed "back-to-back" dates until Markle had to leave for work days later.

Weeks later in August, the Prince invited Markle on a safari for a few days in Botswana and that trip "clinched the deal".

Markle's friend Gina Nelthorpe-Cowne said: "When they were back, she showed me the most wonderful photographs of the two of them on her phone. They were so clearly already in love.

"She told me it was serious and they had started discussing the future. She said they'd said to each other: 'We're going to change the world.'"