PRINCE Harry scouted for a diamond engagement ring just six months after meeting Meghan Markle.

And the couple were so smitten with each other that they openly started talking about their wedding a year after meeting.

⚠️Read our Meghan and Harry blog for the latest news on the Royal couple.

The Duke of Sussex met the Suits star at a blind date in July 2016 – with Prince Harry saying "I love you" just three months later.

Finding Freedom, released today, claimed Harry even started to search for a ring by May 2017 – sourcing a "conflict-free" diamond while on a secret scouting trip to Africa with a pal.

And by June 2017, Meghan and Harry were speaking with palace aides about when the best time for a wedding ceremony would be.

The whirlwind romance ultimately saw the couple announce their engagement in November 2017, tying the knot in May 2018.

Finding Freedom claims revealed today include:

• Harry felt like he and Meghan were "thrown under the bus" to protect the Royal Family
• Meghan felt people wanted her to serve her child "on a silver platter" after Archie was born
• Prince Harry was "delightfully surprised" when Meghan reportedly peed in the woods on their luxury camping trip in Botswana
• Harry was stunned after Meghan's estranged family gave a series of interviews criticising the duchess
• Meghan had to undergo kidnapping training after an unusually high number of threats
• She fell for Prince Harry after seeing him play with pal Jessica Mulroney's kids
• The Duchess of Sussex saw Prince Charles as a "second father"

The book claimed: "Unbeknownst to most, [Harry] already had an engagement ring in the works.

"That May, Harry travelled alone to Botswana in his role as patron of Rhino Conversation Botswana.

"While in Africa, he did a little secret diamond scouting with a close friend who helped him to source the perfect conflict-free stone."

And it further added: "By June 2017, [Meghan] and Harry weren't talking about their wedding as a possibility so much as an absolute.

"They even went so far as to bring the Palace into the conversation, consulting with the prince's aides about the best time for a ceremony."

The main diamond on Meghan's stunning sparkler was sourced from Botswana while the smaller diamonds are from the late Princess Diana's collection.

But just months later the band was redesigned, with the original yellow gold replaced by a thin line of diamonds.

The biography has also hinted at the couple getting engaged weeks before it was publicly announced.

It stated the couple became secretly engaged in August 2017.

Until now the couple have always claimed their engagement took place over a low-key roast chicken dinner in November 2017.

At the time, Harry and Meghan sat down in an interview with the BBC, with Harry saying: “It happened earlier this month, just a standard typical night for us.”

Meghan replied: “Just a cosy night, we were just roasting chicken.”

And later she added: “It was just an amazing surprise, it was so sweet and natural and very romantic. He got on one knee."

The couple's relationship has continued at break-neck speed, welcoming baby Archie a year after they tied the knot.

And after a little more than a year later, they announced they were quitting the Royal Family and moving overseas.

They are now living in LA with their son – celebrating Meghan Markle's 39th birthday in lockdown just last week.

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