In late June, I needed to spend the night inLondonwithout having any place to do so.
Check-in at the hotel, which is part of the Soho House group, is at 3 p.m.
I arrive just past noon.
Photo: Mariell Lind Hansen
Just beyond is another sitting area where a coffee table has a print copy ofThe Daily Telegraph.
Antique lithographs hang right behind it.
Would I want to freshen up?
Photo: Mariell Lind Hansen
WaitI didnt hear about this place.
I read about it.
He revealed that Prince William allegedly physically assaulted him.
Photo: Mariell Lind Hansen
He revealed that he (not so allegedly) got frostbite on his penis.
It was her headquarters whenever she came to London, he wrote.
Sometimes she just left her luggage at Soho House for weeks.
They stored it without question.
The people there were like family.
The couple met there for their first date, for which Prince Harry was 30 minutes late.
But that was far from Dean Streets only mention.
They spent the night together: In the morning we needed sustenance.
We phoned room service.
When they knocked at the door, I looked around frantically for a place to hide.
The room had nothing.
No cubbyhole, or wardrobes, no armoire, he wrote.
So I lay flat on the bed and pulled the duvet over my head.
Maybe I should say infamous.
Other people hate em and think they just want to be stars in the spotlight.
Some people think its a mix of both, and some peoplejust dont care.
A few hours later, my room is ready.
After a few twists of the knob, the door swings open.
Its all very lovely.
But instead, my back is turned and Im staring at the wardrobe in the corner.
Perhaps it was because I was conditioned to.
As a child, my life revolved around Disney movies.
As Kate Middleton stepped into her role as Princess Catherine, I stumbled into my early twenties.
I met a boy that I loved.
For a while, it was perfect.
Until it went completely and utterly off the rails.
The British tabloids published racist articles about Meghan and paparazzi began to swarm her home.
A year and a half after their wedding, they quit the monarchy entirely.
In March 2021, the Duchess of Sussex revealed to Oprah she struggled with suicidal thoughts through it all.
My phone buzzes and I look at the WhatsApp notification.
Grabbed us a table outside, it said.
I jot up, take a quick look in the mirror, and put on some lipgloss.
Be right there, I text back in the elevator.
I walk out to Dean Street and hes there watching the crowd.
His sunglasses are on and his legs outstretched.
Hi, I say in my American accent.
Hello, he says in his British one.
I smile right back.
