Meghan Markle says she and Prince Harry are "two people who are really happy and in love."
The 36-year-old American actress has opened up on her relationship with the 33-year-old prince in an interview with Vanity Fair. Markle says they met in London through friends in July 2016 and have been dating for about a year. She adds that they were together about six months before the relationship became news.
While she expects that she and Harry will have to "come forward" as a couple at some point, Markle refers to the quiet start to their romance as "our time."
The interview has prompted British bet-maker Betfair to offer 6-to-4 odds that the couple is engaged by the end of 2017 and 3-to-1 odds that they marry in 2018.
While Markle has spent large chunks of the last seven years in Toronto filming the series "Suits" she has not warmed to Canadian winters.
“A long time for someone who grew up in Southern California,” she tells Vanity Fair.
Markle does express a fondness for Toronto Italian eatery Terroni and Montreal-born designer Erdem, also a favourite of Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton.
with files from Siobhan Morris