Actress and potential royal-in-waiting Meghan Markle has given her first major interview since news of her romance with Prince Harry broke last autumn, breaking her silence to speak candidly about the reality of dating the young royal in a Vanity Fair cover story.

Titled “Wild About Harry” (top marks to VF for avoiding the temptation of a “The Prince and Me”-esque headline), the profile sees the Suits star, 36, open up about the challenges of her newfound notoriety — and though Meghan, who has previously only alluded to her relationship through cryptic Instagram posts and veiled remarks, has plenty to say on the subject of Harry, 32, you (sadly) won’t find her confirming any of those ever-pressing engagement rumors. Sigh.

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Meghan (left) and Harry (right). (Photo Credit: Getty Images)

Describing the surge in press interest — not all of it positive — that followed news of her romance with the fifth-in-line to the throne, Meghan appeared remarkably cool headed. “It has its challenges, and it comes in waves,” she told Vanity Fair. “Some days it can feel more challenging than others. And right out of the gate it was surprising the way things changed. But I still have this support system all around me, and of course, my boyfriend’s support.” Yep, it seems that even royals aren’t too fancy to use the terms boyfriend and girlfriend. “I can tell you that at the end of the day I think it’s really simple,” she added. “We’re two people who are really happy and in love.”

Confirming the rumored timeline of their relationship, she explained, “We were very quietly dating for about six months before it became news, and I was working during that whole time, and the only thing that changed was people’s perception,” telling the magazine that she first met the Prince in July 2016, coinciding with the Invictus Games in Toronto. “Nothing about me changed. I’m still the same person that I am, and I’ve never defined myself by my relationship,” she added.

For now, Meghan seems happy to keep her relationship low profile. Alluding to the formalities and pressures that will inevitably accompany a royal engagement, she said, “I’m sure there will be a time when we have to come forward and present ourselves and have stories to tell, but I hope what people will understand is that this is our time. This is for us. It’s part of what makes it so special, that it’s just ours.”

This post was written by Katie Rosseinsky. It originally appeared on our sister site, Grazia Daily.

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