A complete timeline of how Piers Morgan met Meghan Markle and went from publicly singing her praises to trashing her on TV

According to Morgan, he started watching the USA series "Suits" and then followed several of the cast members on Twitter.

Markle followed him back, and sent him a direct message, writing that she was a "big fan" of his.

Morgan had been a judge on the reality competition show, "America's Got Talent," from 2006 to 2011, and returned as a guest judge in 2015.

He also had become a notable TV host on US channels by this time, and joined "Good Morning Britain" in the fall of 2015.

The Elle magazine essay Markle wrote described her experience growing up with a white father and Black mother, and how it shaped her sense of self.

Markle also shared several anecdotes about racist behavior she and her mother had encountered over the years.

"Meghan very kindly emailed the episodes to me," he replied to someone on Twitter. "She's good to her superfans."

According to the couple, a mutual friend set them up on a blind date at Soho House's Dean Street Townhouse.

The Sunday Express was the first outlet to report that Prince Harry had a new girlfriend, a TV star from California named Meghan Markle.

The statement said a line had been "crossed" when it came to the media's coverage of his girlfriend, saying she had been "subject to a wave of abuse and harassment."

The statement continued: "Some of this has been very public - the smear on the front page of a national newspaper; the racial undertones of comment pieces; and the outright sexism and racism of social media trolls and web article comments."

It also referenced how her friends, coworkers, and loved ones had been bombarded by members of the press.

Markle was Harry's date at the wedding reception, though she wasn't at the ceremony due to a "no ring, no bring" rule.

"Is it wrong that my sole interest in Pippa Middleton's wedding is what @meghanmarkle wears?" he wrote.

"Congrats Meghan & Harry," the TV host wrote on Twitter in response to the official announcement of their engagement. "My friend will make the perfect modern bride. ps Do I get an invite @meghanmarkle?"

The column included transcripts of the messages shared between Markle and Morgan on the day they were going to meet, including Markle's initial "Would love to say hi!" direct message on Twitter.

Morgan, who has been married since 2010, called the evening a "strictly platonic [...] date in the Scarsdale."

The broadcaster said he didn't hear from Markle again, "which is perfectly understandable under the circumstances (though I desperately miss her sending me those early 'Suits' episode links!)."

"I'm guessing the words 'Hey darling, fancy going to the pub with my ex tabloid newspaper editor mate Piers?' were never going to go down very well with His Royal Highness, even if we are neighbours and I was once quite pally with his mum Diana," Morgan wrote.

He wrote "all will be forgiven though" if he were to get an invite to the wedding, or "better still," an invite to Harry's stag night or bachelor party.

Morgan also told the story of their meeting on "Good Morning Britain," and called Markle a "very smart, and very warm, nice, funny person.

Just a month after her engagement to Prince Harry was announced, Markle deactivated her personal social media accounts.

Celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey, Idris Elba, and Priyanka Chopra were invited to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's wedding, but Morgan was not among them.

The whole column was written as if it was a letter to Markle herself.

Morgan brought up their in-person meeting once again, and also warned the new Duchess of Sussex against "poking the bear" when it comes to bringing feminism and politics into the royal family.

"You can't preach about everyone getting a fair shake when you yourself are getting the most prestigious, privileged and unequal shake imaginable, simply for getting married, to a man," he wrote.

"There is no better feminist role model for you than the Queen who has spent a lifetime keeping her opinions to herself yet is the most respected woman alive," the column continued.

Markle's reportedly contentious relationship with her father had been heavily publicized throughout 2017 and 2018. You can see a timeline of the reported events of that relationship, including Thomas Markle's staged paparazzi photos, here.

Morgan was one of the reporters who landed an exclusive interview with Thomas Markle, giving him platform to speak on "Good Morning Britain." Morgan was particularly critical of the fact that Thomas had not attended the wedding (a circumstance for which the TV host blamed Meghan Markle).

In this new column, Morgan's version of events from the night they met up now included the claim that Markle had "asked [him] for advice on her career and the media, and if she could come on 'Good Morning Britain' next time she was over."

The previous columns he wrote about their meeting had made no mention of these requests for advice or TV-show appearances.

He also shared the text of a conversation he had between her "Suits" costar Rick Hoffman after Hoffman attended the royal wedding.

"Piers! I am very sorry for not responding," Morgan claims Hoffman said in a message. "You must understand, once I heard the news, out of respect for Meghan, I couldn't share a thing. Now I can share fun stuff! I would love to catch up at that favorite pub of yours. Hope to hear from you pal. Love you pal. Rick."

Morgan says he didn't reply to Hoffman because he didn't understand and found the behavior "rude."

"I'd been 'played' by a couple of B-list actors, who were clearly just using me to advance their careers," Morgan wrote in his column.

"And frankly, who am I, a former tabloid newspaper editor, to take a dim view of such ruthless antics?" he continued. "But on another level, the whole experience left me feeling suspicious and cynical about Ms Markle."

Markle latered reveal in her tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey that just before attending an event at Royal Albert Hall on January 16, 2019, she had told Prince Harry she was having thoughts about not "[wanting] to be alive anymore."

"It was like, 'These are the thoughts that I'm having in the middle of the night that are very clear ... And I'm scared, because this is very real," Markle told Winfrey. "This isn't some abstract idea. This is methodical, and this is not who I am.' But we had to go to this event, and I remember him saying, 'I don't think you can go.' And I said, 'I can't be left alone.'"

In their 2021 interview with Winfrey, both Prince Harry and Markle described the intense pressure and mental-health strain that was caused by the UK's negative press coverage of their lives and the lack of support they felt from within the palace institution.

"I was friendly with Meghan but she ghosted me," he told the Mirror. "I am not impressed. There seems to be a pattern of her doing that to people, it's a bit worrying."

"From my personal experience, she is someone I thought I was pretty matey with and 'bang', she met somebody more ­important and that was it, and told other members of her show who I was friendly with to stop talking to me," Morgan claimed.

"The moment she met Harry she cut everybody off who she thought might be no longer desirable in her friend and family circle," he continued.

For the rest of 2019, Morgan's criticisms of Markle and accusations that she was playing the victim or using her acting skills to garner sympathy were regular occurrences on "Good Morning Britain."

A statement published by Buckingham Palace on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II read: "Following many months of conversations and more recent discussions, I am pleased that together we have found a constructive and supportive way forward for my grandson and his family."

The move, which was dubbed "Megxit" by the British tabloids, prompted speculation about the couple's future and how it would relate to the British monarchy.

Markle never publicly or privately responded to Morgan's comments (flattering or otherwise) over the last four years.

While Morgan perceived her lack of contact as "ghosting," it's entirely possible the intial cut-off was due to her instructions not to engage with the media.

Morgan, who had been a "Good Morning Britain" cohost since 2015, is also a regular Daily Mail columnist and former news editor.

Markle told Winfrey she was "given a very clear directive from the moment the world knew Harry and I were dating to always say, 'No comment.'"

The former actress also said her family members and friends were told to do the same.

The morning after the interview aired in the US, Morgan said he was "sickened" by the "absolutely disgraceful" interview and was "angry to the point of falling over."

Throughout that morning's edition of "Good Morning Britain," Morgan dismissed several claims Markle made, including that she had felt suicidal.

"I wouldn't believe Meghan Markle if she gave me a weather report," he wrote on Twitter. "Is it too late for Oscar nominations?"

While commenting on a clip of the Winfrey interview in which Markle said she had approached senior members of the royal institution for help but was denied, Morgan said: "Who did you go to? What did they say to you? I'm sorry, I don't believe a word she said, Meghan Markle."

As Insider reporter Zac Ntim wrote, "Piers Morgan stormed off the 'Good Morning Britain' set Tuesday morning after clashing with the show's weather presenter Alex Beresford, who condemned Morgan's continued attacks on Meghan Markle."

"I understand that you don't like Meghan Markle — you've made that so clear a number of times on this program," Beresford said. "I understand that you've got a personal relationship with Meghan Markle or had one and she cut you off. She's entitled to cut you off if she wants to. Has she said anything about you since she cut you off? I don't think she has, but yet you continue to trash her."

Morgan walked off the set of the morning show, saying: "I'm done with this. Sorry. You can trash me, mate, but not on my own show."

Several hours after he walked off the set of "Good Morning Britain," UK broadcasting company Ofcom announced an investigation into Morgan, saying it had received more than 41,000 complaints over his statements.

Then news broke that Morgan had quit the show.

"Following discussions with ITV, Piers Morgan has decided now is the time to leave 'Good Morning Britain,'" ITV said in a statement. "ITV has accepted this decision and has nothing further to add."

Reports also came in saying Markle herself had filed a complaint with ITV's chief executive.

"I'm told that the letter was written by the duchess for one reason only," royals reporter Omid Scobie said. "To raise and share concern over the serious impact that Morgan's comments could have on anyone struggling with their mental health or thinking about seeking help."