Yahoo Lifestyle 
Prince Harry had a secret girlfriend when he met Meghan
She’s the one who converted him from a playboy prince to the besotted fiancé he is now, but Meghan Markle’s fairytale with Prince Harry could have ended very differently, according to a royal expert who’s spilled the beans on the prince’s love life before he met the actress.
While much has been said of how Meghan and Harry met on a blind date in 2016 after being set up by a mutual friend, insiders have claimed the prince may have been seeing another woman at the time.
According to royal expert Katie Nicholl, author of Harry: Life, Loss and Love, the 33-year-old was very skilled at keeping his love life away from the public eye.
“He was dating model Sarah Ann Macklin before he met Meghan,” Katie tells Be.
“He’s pretty good at keeping his private life below the radar.”
Harry met Sarah – who has worked with luxe brands such as Burberry - at a private party in June 2016, and bombarded the model with texts, reports the Daily Mail.
The couple continued to see each other for the next two months, with Harry being set up with Suits actress Meghan in July.
While it’s not clear whether she was aware of Prince Harry’s budding romance with Sarah, sparks immediately flew during their date, with the royal quickly locking Meghan into a trip to Africa, where insiders say they fell in love.
"Harry also seemed a bit non-committal [with Sarah] and it never really got off the ground," a source told the Daily Mail in 2016.
"Things fizzled out before he went to Africa for a month in August."
For Katie, who has been writing about the royals for a decade, she’s witnessed how Harry's learnt how to keep his private life under wraps when he wants to.
“It was Harry who lit the touch paper for my career as a royal correspondent after I spent an evening partying with him many moons ago,” Katie tells Be.
“I was in the right place at the right time and going to the same nightclubs as William and Harry, the same polo clubs. I got to know them and their circle of friends so I got a unique insight into their lives at a very fascinating and eventful time.
“Harry has had other girlfriends that have slipped below the radar."
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