Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle's decade-long tale unfolds

Middleton's 44th birthday on Friday marked ten years since she first met Meghan Markle, shortly after her birthday in January 2016.

The Duchess of Sussex reportedly met the Princess of Wales for the first time upon returning to London from Norway where she had gone to ring in the New Year with Prince Harry.

This was recently revealed in a story detailing Harry and Meghan's first New Year celebration together.

According to the report, Meghan Markle met Prince William's wife right after Kate Middleton's birthday on January 9.

The report said the Duke of Sussex spent Christmas at Sandringham, while Meghan spent it with her mother in Canada, where she was filming "Suits",

The couple reunited towards the end of the year before they left for Norway.

Citing a report published in The Sun, express.co.uk reported that the couple travelled to Tromsø, where they "enjoyed "whale-watching, sunsets in the snow, and watched the Aurora Borealis."

"Harry wanted to make this first holiday something [she] will never forget. It wasn’t an obvious choice like a glitzy beach resort or tropical island," an insider was quoted as saying.

According to the report, the youngest son of King Charles proposed Meghan 10 months later in November 2017, and the couple spent their first Sandringham Christmas together the next month.

"When Meghan Markle spent her first Christmas at Sandringham with the Firm in 2017, it marked a break in tradition for the family - as the couple were not married," according to UK's Daily Express