Harry and Meghan:
Prince Harry says he knew Meghan Markle was the one the moment he met her – and now it’s official. We celebrate the latest royal engagement.
is official! their love
It is the news the world has been hoping for. The lovable Prince Harry – who we watched, with heartbreak, deal with the loss of his mother, Princess Diana, at the age of 12, and go from a mischievous young prince to a tireless charity campaigner – has found “the one”.
Royal officials announced on November 27 that the 33-year-old prince and his girlfriend of 16 months, Meghan Markle, are engaged and will marry next year.
After the announcement, Prince Harry confessed that he had long known he would propose to actress Meghan, star of the TV series Suits.
“When did I know she was the one?” Harry said in response to a reporter’s question at Kensington Palace. “The very first time we met.”
Harry proposed in the couple’s Nottingham Cottage on what the couple say was a “typical night in”. The two were roasting a chicken when Harry got down on one knee.
Meghan, 36, who recently relocated from her home in Canada to London, said the moment was “just an amazing surprise. It was so sweet and natural and very romantic.”
Meghan’s stunning engagement ring was designed by Prince Harry and includes a centre diamond from Botswana, where the couple recently holidayed, and two diamonds from his late mother’s personal collection “to make sure that she’s with us on this crazy journey together”.
Having something from his late mother included in the engagement was important to the prince, who believes that if Diana were alive today, she would be thrilled with the news. “I think she would be over the moon, jumping up and down, so excited for me. It’s days like these I really miss having her around.”
Kate and William were among the first to congratulate Prince Harry and Meghan Markle after news of their engagement. They issued a statement welcoming the Suits star into the family: “We are very excited for Harry and Meghan,” the royal couple, who wed in April 2011, said. “It has been wonderful getting to know Meghan and to see how happy she and Harry are together.”
It was the first time either of them had publicly acknowledged Harry’s relationship with Meghan since the pair began dating last year, although it is understood the two couples had met privately, and Meghan was even introduced to little Prince George and Princess Charlotte.
Planning for the royal wedding has already begun in haste, with just a few months until the big day in May 2018. The couple will marry in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle and are taking charge of the wedding plans themselves, promising a day of fun, joy and a chance to celebrate with the public.