According to royal author Tom Quinn, both Prince William and Prince Harry were struggling emotionally following the tragic death of their mother, Princess Diana, in 1997. William was 15 years old at the time, and Harry was almost 13. However, upon meeting their future wives, Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle, the princes found the support and stability they needed, as reported by The Mirror.

Quinn claims that both brothers required partners who could provide them with the emotional support that they missed after losing their mother. "I think actually, in a strange way, the two boys, William and Harry, need their partners in a very similar way," he said.

Quinn described Princess Diana as more modern and loving than her ex-husband, King Charles, and noted that the princes grew up with the added insecurity of being raised by paid staff after her death. As a result, they sought partners who could provide them with the strength and guidance they needed.

William found stability in Kate, who is "level-headed and strong in that quiet, solid, secure way," while Harry found support in Meghan, who "was going to grab him by the scruff of the neck and say, 'This is the way to live,'" according to Quinn. He added that both princes were "lost souls" by the time they reached their late teens.

William and Kate met as first-year students at the University of St. Andrews in 2001 and became a couple by 2003. Despite a brief breakup in 2007, they were together for seven years before getting engaged in 2010 and marrying on April 29, 2011. Harry and Meghan, on the other hand, met on a blind date in 2016, got engaged in 2017, and married on May 19, 2018, after knowing each other for less than two years. This timeline broke Harry's firm rule when it came to dating, as reported by The Mirror.

In his memoir, Spare, Harry mentioned the "firm rules" for royal relationships, which included dating a woman for at least three years before getting engaged. However, after a trip to Africa with Meghan early in their relationship, Harry realized she was the "shining exception to this rule."

He wrote, "All rules. I knew her straightaway, and she knew me. The true me. Might seem rash, I thought, might seem illogical, but it’s true: For the first time, in fact, I felt myself to be living in truth."

Harry and Meghan's relationship progressed much faster than William and Kate's, who had known each other for nearly a decade before marrying.