Harry’s blunt instruction to Meghan after romance went public

Meghan Markle in the new trailer for her new documentary with Prince Harry. Photo / Netflix

Meghan Markle has revealed for the first time the blunt warning she got over the phone from Prince Harry, shortly after news broke of their relationship in 2016.

In the second episode of the highly-anticipated Harry & Meghan docu-series on Netflix, Meghan explained that during the early days of their relationship, while she was still based in Toronto and filming Suits, she’d encountered a pack of “9 or 10″ paparazzi as she left a florist.

“They were all sort of blocking the cars, going, ‘Hey, how you doing, Meghan?’, and I said ‘Oh, thanks, stay warm guys,’” the Duchess of Sussex recalled.

The next day, she told the filmmakers, she’d gotten a very strict instruction from her new boyfriend.

“I remember (Harry) saying the next day, ‘You can’t talk to them’,” Meghan said.

“And I was like, ‘I’m just trying to be pleasant, I don’t know what to do, I’ve never dealt with this before’, and he said, ‘Yes, but the UK media is saying you love it. You’re smiling. You love it.”

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in a scene in their kitchen from Harry and Meghan. Photo / Netflix

Harry & Meghan is a six-part Netflix series directed by Oscar-nominee Liz Garbus. It is the flagship offering in the couple’s rumoured $183 million multi-year content deal with the streaming giant.

It’s a project that has been in the works for months, with two trailers being released in the past two weeks, both making headlines around the world.

Multiple reports suggest Harry and Meghan have been at odds with Netflix bosses in attempts to delay the show, following a chaotic period for the royal family, including the Queen’s death in September.

The couple are understood to have wanted to push the controversial TV series back to 2023 amid backlash over the new series of The Crown, which is chronicling the breakdown of Charles and Diana’s marriage.

It’s already copped controversy for the use of “fake” and “misleading” photos which have been exposed in detail, including one paparazzi picture taken from the Harry Potter premiere in 2011.

The first three episodes landed around the world on December 8. The next and final three will drop in one week on December 15.