It’s on! Prince Harry, Meghan Markle confirm engagement
MEGHAN Markle looked absolutely stunning in the royal couple’s first post-engagement photos - and so did the ring on her finger.
THE royal couple have made their first public appearance since announcing their engagement, with Prince Harry revealing it was love at first sight with his fiancee Meghan Markle.
The newly betrothed pair beamed as they faced the media at Kensington Palace, which will be their new home.
Wearing a belted white trench coat and showing off her diamond engagement ring, the US actress looked comfortable in the spotlight, waving to the crowds, who cheered back.
Speaking of the ring — it includes a hidden nod to his late mother, Princess Diana.
Royal officials have revealed that Prince Harry designed the engagement ring himself, and that it includes two diamonds that belonged to Princess Diana, who died when Harry was 12.
Ms Markle told the BBC the ring was “beautiful” and said the inclusion of Princess Diana’s diamonds showed Harry’s “thoughtfulness”.
“Obviously not being able to meet his mum, it’s so important to me to know that she’s a part of this with us,” she said.
“And I think in being able to meet his aunts and … different people who were so important to his mum, I’m able to, in some way, know a part of her through them and of course through him.
Asked when he knew that he wanted to marry Ms Markle, Prince Harry said “the very first time we met”.
He said he was “thrilled, over the moon” with the news and added he was “very glad it’s not raining as well”.
When asked about details of the marriage proposal, Harry said “that will come later” but “of course it was” a romantic moment.
Ms Markle chimed in to say she was “so happy” about the engagement and confirmed the prince popping the question was “very” romantic.
MORE: When, where, who will be invited? Details on the royal wedding
The couple were noticeably affectionate towards each other during the brief photo op, smiling warmly at each other, holding hands and embracing before the cameras. They appeared in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace, where they will now live.
The two are due to tie the knot next year in the northern hemisphere spring — between March and May. However they will have to time it carefully to avoid clashing with other royal events such as Will and Kate’s third baby due in April, the Commonwealth Games also in April, and Trooping the Colour for the Queen’s birthday parade in June.
Royal officials have revealed that Prince Harry designed the engagement ring himself, and that it includes two diamonds that belonged to his mother, the late Princess Diana.
The two stones are mounted on a gold band around the larger central diamond from Botswana, an African country Harry has visited with his bride-to-be.
The ring was made by the official jewellers to Queen Elizabeth, Cleave & Company.
Tourists were overjoyed to have chosen to visit Kensington Palace on the day the engagement was announced.
Sheila Evans and Caron Allen, of Eastbourne, had travelled to London to view the palace’s collection of Princess Diana’s dresses, but they raced through the exhibition when the news broke and were able to watch the royal love birds’ photo call.
“They looked really happy. They seem very comfortable with each other. It’s a very personal moment,” Sheila told news.com.au.
“She’s used to the public eye. That really helps. She’s confident.”
Caron added: “We were so happy to get stuck here for Harry’s engagement.”
The two friends bought a congratulatory card from the palace and were trying to find someone to deliver it to the prince and his new fiancee.
Sheila and Caron with Prince Harry’s engagement card they bought this morning @newscomauHQ pic.twitter.com/UtLpGVQkNF
— Victoria Craw (@victoria_craw) November 27, 2017
Allyson Genereux of Omaha, Nebraska, was delighted with the news and was only annoyed that she didn’t book her UK trip for spring.
“It was insane. Harry’s so cute. I love him so much,” she said.
“They were very sweet together, very much in love.”
Palace visitor Sue, who asked for her last name not to be published, said Brits were “really happy” about the engagement.
“It’s something to cheer us all up. It’s something we all need,” she told news.com.au.
Shelley Montez said she was lucky to be standing in the perfect spot to see the royal couple.
“I’ve never seen her before. They looked very stunning. They were holding hands and they looked very sweet,” she said.
Diana superfan John Loughrey is thrilled for the new royal couple @newscomauHQ #RoyalWedding2018 pic.twitter.com/nOZrOZwFiu
— Victoria Craw (@victoria_craw) November 27, 2017
Prince Charles’ London residence, Clarence House, confirmed the news in a statement on Monday, saying: “His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales is delighted to announce the engagement of Prince Harry to Ms Meghan Markle.
“The wedding will take place in Spring 2018. Further details about the wedding day will be announced in due course.”
The couple got engaged in London earlier this month after Prince Harry asked Ms Markle’s parents for permission.
Meghan Markle said proposal was ‘very’ romantic @newscomauHQ pic.twitter.com/OpVlbRV14I
— Victoria Craw (@victoria_craw) November 27, 2017
“Prince Harry has informed Her Majesty The Queen and other close members of his family,” Clarence House said.
“Prince Harry has also sought and received the blessing of Ms Markle’s parents.”
The couple will live in Nottingham Cottage at Kensington Palace, where Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge lived when they first married.
The picturesque property known as “Nott Cott” is a two-bedroom home where Prince Harry currently lives and is on the border of London’s Hyde Park.
The Prince of Wales has announced the engagement of Prince Harry and Ms. Meghan Markle. pic.twitter.com/rtlAnFCWTf
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) November 27, 2017
The Prince of Wales is delighted to announce the engagement of Prince Harry to Ms. Meghan Markle. pic.twitter.com/zdaHR4mcY6
— Clarence House (@ClarenceHouse) November 27, 2017
The Queen and Prince Philip, who recently celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary, said they were “delighted for the couple and wish them every happiness”.
Prince Charles said both he and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, were ecstatic.
“We’re thrilled. We’re both thrilled. We hope they’ll be very happy indeed,” he said.
Ms Markle’s parents, Thomas Markle and Doria Ragland, have wished the couple “a lifetime of happiness”.
“We are incredibly happy for Meghan and Harry. Our daughter has always been a kind and loving person. To see her union with Harry, who shares the same qualities, is a source of great joy for us as parents,” they said in a statement.
“We wish them a lifetime of happiness and are very excited for their future together.”
Prince Harry’s brother and sister-in-law, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, William and Kate, said: “We are very excited for Harry and Meghan. It has been wonderful getting to know Meghan and to see how happy she and Harry are together.”
Congratulations for the new royal couple quickly began to flow in, with UK Prime Minister Theresa May offering her “warmest congratulations”.
“This is a time of huge celebration for two people in love. On behalf of myself, the Government and the country, I wish them great happiness for the future,” she said.
Former prime minister David Cameron also tweeted his congratulations on the “wonderful news”.
Others got excited, daydreaming about an invite for the royal nuptials.
PM - I would like to offer my very warmest congratulations to HRH Prince Harry and Meghan Markle upon their engagement.
— UK Prime Minister (@Number10gov) November 27, 2017
This is a time of huge celebration for two people in love. On behalf of myself, the Government and the country, I wish them great happiness for the future.
Congratulations to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Wonderful news and I wish them a long and happy life together.
— David Cameron (@David_Cameron) November 27, 2017
low key me pretending that I’m going to be invited to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s royal wedding 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/O9ywCe7sXB
— Felix (@MrFelixRac) November 27, 2017
Black Twitter be like this today #MeghanMarkle #PrinceHarry #RoyalWedding 😂ðŸ˜ðŸ˜˜ðŸ˜ŠðŸ‘ŠðŸ¾ðŸ‘ðŸ¾ðŸ™ŒðŸ¾ pic.twitter.com/N1GzX8xt3v
— OSCAR (@RACSO40) November 27, 2017
How much do we LOVE a royal wedding!? 🎉 Massive congratulations to Meghan Markle & Prince Harry 👰 🙌 Is it too early to start speculating about the dress?? pic.twitter.com/3fAStPxm5O
— SYTTDUK (@syttduk) November 27, 2017
The news follows months of speculation about when the royal wedding would be announced, with bookmakers deciding last week to pull bets on when it would take place.
“Meghan has met her Prince Charming and it looks like this fairytale is going to end happy ever after,” a Ladbrokes spokesman said last week.
Ms Markle has recently moved out of her rented Toronto home, where she had lived for the past five years, and is reportedly in the process of shipping her belongings to London.
The wedding will be the news millions of royal watchers all around the world have been waiting on for months, with Harry, 33, making it clear from the very start of the relationship just how serious he was about Meghan, 36.
The strongest hint yet the pair were headed down the aisle in October, when it was reported senior members of the Royal Family were asked to check for a shortlist of weekends that may serve as an appropriate time for an engagement announcement.
Ms Markle reportedly won the approval of Queen Elizabeth II during a private meeting over tea at Buckingham Palace recently.
There’s no word yet on where the couple will decide to get married — but it’s likely, given that Harry is sixth-in-line to the throne, they’ll be approved to follow royal tradition and marry at Westminster Abbey.
So what’s ahead for Harry and Meghan when they tie the knot?
While it’s clear Meghan’s acting career will be over — she reportedly quit her hit show Suits last month — she’s likely to take on a very significant role as a member of the British royal family.
It’s expected she’ll officially drop her last name and take up the female version of Harry’s title. As he is ‘His Royal Highness Prince Henry of Wales, Meghan will be ‘Her Royal Highness Princess Henry of Wales’.
A day before the wedding, Queen Elizabeth will bestow a royal peerage to Harry — which Meghan will share as his wife. (Prior to their wedding, Prince William and Kate Middleton were given the titles of Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.)
Many royalists agree that Harry is likely to be given the Dukedom of Sussex, although Oxford, Cumberland and Buckingham are also in the running.
Interestingly, no royal bride has ever been allowed to change their name — and Meghan’s actual birth name is Rachel. So unless the Queen decrees it, it’s entirely possible that’s the name with which she will be married and formally addressed once she becomes royal.
Either way, Harry and Meghan’s wedding is already one of the most anticipated royal events of all time — and a stunning end to a whirlwind romance.
FIRST MEETING
Prince Harry and Meghan reportedly met in London through friends in July 2016, and began dating shortly afterwards.
There are conflicting reports about exactly who played matchmaker for the pair — many people believe it was Meghan’s close friend Misha Nonoo, who was previously married to Alexander Gilkes, a former pupil at Eton and one of Harry’s best friends. When Misha was asked about it, she remained suspiciously tight-lipped: “I really can’t answer that,” she told the Evening Standard.
The other cupid candidate is Meghan’s friend Markus Anderson, a consultant for the Soho House Group, who is reported to have set her up on a date with his friend Harry.
Through clever bait-and-switch techniques and the highest level of secrecy, the new couple managed to travel back and forth to see each other between the UK and Canada — where Suits is filmed — for months, with nobody finding out.
PRINCE HARRY SPEAKS OUT
When people finally got wind of the relationship in October 2016, it sparked a storm of intense coverage, with every detail of Meghan’s Instagram page and her website The Tig (which has since been shut down) being scrutinised for any clues to confirm the romance — like a picture she uploaded of two bananas cuddling.
But after nine days of a relentless media frenzy, Prince Harry finally snapped.
In a shock move, the popular royal released an official statement through Kensington Palace warning everyone to back off from his “girlfriend” of a “few months”.
The statement also declared that “a line” had been “crossed”, after Meghan had been the victim of “abuse and harassment”.
“It is not right that a few months into a relationship with him that Ms Markle should be subjected to such a storm,” it read.
“His girlfriend, Meghan Markle, has been subject to a wave of abuse and harassment. 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.
“Some of it has been hidden from the public — the nightly legal battles to keep defamatory stories out of papers; her mother having to struggle past photographers in order to get to her front door; the attempts of reporters and photographers to gain illegal entry to her home and the calls to police that followed; the substantial bribes offered by papers to her ex-boyfriend; the bombardment of nearly every friend, co-worker, and loved one in her life.”
While Prince Harry acknowledged that some commentators will claim “this is all part of the game”, his statement read: “He strongly disagrees. This is not a game — it is her life and his.
“He has asked for this statement to be issued in the hopes that those in the press who have been driving this story can pause and reflect before any further damage is done.
“He knows that it is unusual to issue a statement like this, but hopes that fair-minded people will understand why he has felt it necessary to speak publicly.”
Kensington Palace has issued a statement this morning about the harassment currently being experienced by Meghan Markle and her family. pic.twitter.com/EuFZ4fmUIj
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) November 8, 2016
It was a first for the prince, and made it clear to everyone that this love story was the real deal. After all, every woman who has been in a serious relationship with Harry (including his ex of seven years, Chelsy Davy) had copped the same media treatment as Meghan — but none had ever provoked a protective response like that.
It was clear Harry was considering proposing to Meghan — after all, Prince William lashed out in a similar defence of his then-girlfriend, the future Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton back in 2007.
GOING PUBLIC
After Harry confirmed the news, the couple became less concerned with secrecy as they continued their romance.
In mid-December, The Sun published the first-ever pictures of the couple together, taken while they were out on a date night in London.
Harry and Meghan were seen walking hand-in-hand along Piccadilly admiring the Christmas lights on their way to a West End show.
That month, the couple was also spotted shopping for a Christmas tree, presumably for his two-bedroom cottage within Kensington Palace, where Meghan stayed over the holiday period.
Then in May 2017, Meghan was photographed dressed to the nines as she watched her boyfriend play polo at the Coworth Park polo club in Ascot, just outside of London.
They were photographed arriving at the airport in Africa as they embarked on a romantic three-week holiday in August to celebrate Meghan’s 36th birthday.
OFFICIAL ENGAGEMENTS
Prince Harry and Meghan made their first official appearance together in September 2017 while attending the Invictus Games in Toronto.
The couple smiled and held hands as they walked through town, before sitting together to watch the wheelchair tennis event.
During the Games, Meghan’s mother was also spotted hanging out with her daughter’s boyfriend, indicating he’d already been given the seal of approval.
The prince and actress’ public debut came just weeks after Meghan spoke about their romance for the very first time.
During an interview with Vanity Fair, she said: “We’re two people who are really happy and in love.”
Meghan also insisted that their relationship hadn’t changed anything about her as a person.
“I can tell you that at the end of the day I think it’s really simple. We’re two people who are really happy and in love. We were very quietly dating for about six months before it became news, and I was working during that whole time, and the only thing that changed was people’s perception,” she said.
“Nothing about me changed. I’m still the same person that I am, and I’ve never defined myself by my relationship.”
— with AP
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