Prince Harry followed Meghan Markle online before they met

He admits this in his memoirs Save he saw his future wife for the first time while scrolling through Instagram — a detail that insiders say led to teases and pointed questions about how persistent his online interest in Meghan became in the weeks leading up to their first date.

The Duke of Sussex, 41, wrote in his autobiography that he discovered Markle, now 44, after watching a short dog filter video posted by his childhood friend Violet von Westenholz.

But sources close to the royal circle claim Harry’s fascination quickly turned into “a full-fledged digital pursuit.”

An insider familiar with those early months said: “He wasn’t just browsing. He was repeatedly checking her profile, asking friends about her, looking for new messages. He was in love, but it was definitely veering into online stalking territory.”

Another source said: “Harry said he had never seen anyone like her and he didn’t want to miss the opportunity. He was determined to meet her.”

In SaveHarry admitted: ‘They were playing with a new app that put crazy filters on your photos. Violet and the woman had dog ears, dog noses, long red dog tongues hanging out.

“Despite the dog cartoon overlay, I sat up.”

Referring to Markle, he added: “This woman with Violet… my God.”

He said he then watched the clip featuring the then-full-time actress “several times” and said, “I’d never seen anyone like that before.”

One source said: “He was glued to his phone after that first viewing. When he wasn’t texting her, he was looking at her pictures.”

Another said: “He kept saying he just wanted a chance and that if he met her everything would fall into place. It was intense – very intense.”

Harry’s next step – texting Von Westenholz to request an introduction to Markle – is also detailed in his memoir.

“Six other guys” had asked about Meghan, Violet told him, but she agreed to connect them via Instagram.

A message from Markle soon followed, complimenting Harry on the “beautiful photos” he had posted from his travels in Africa.

Harry remembered locking himself in a spare room in Sir Keith Mills’ house to keep sending her messages.

“I sat on my bed like a teenager texting until it was time for dinner,” he wrote. After dessert, he said, he “quickly returned to the guest room and resumed texting.”

A friend of the prince said: ‘He was obsessed – in a romantic way, but obsessed nonetheless.

“He kept saying it felt like maybe there was only one face for him, and now he had found it.”

Harry eventually asked Markle out for drinks and they met in 2016. They were 30 minutes late for their first date due to traffic. He wrote that he arrived at their appointment “red-cheeked, puffing and sweaty,” but their conversation flowed easily.

He described Markle in his book as “beautiful from a heart attack.”

Their second date followed, followed by a week-long trip to Botswana, where Harry said he realized Meghan was his “soulmate.”

He later said: “She came with me for five days, which was absolutely fantastic. Then we were really alone.”