Royal frenzy as Harry is set to give a sparkler to Miss Markle
THE engagement of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle could be announced as early as today.
Television crews from Britain, the US and Australia gathered outside Kensington Palace and Buckingham Palace last night in the belief it is imminent.
Some Government officials apparently believed it was going to happen last week.
Speculation about an engagement has grown in recent days after it was understood Harry, 33, and divorcee Meghan, 36, spoke to the Archbishop of Canterbury about a church wedding.
Harry is also rumoured to have been looking through his late mother’s jewellery collection to chose a precious stone for Meghan’s engagement ring. When Princess Diana died in 1997 he was bequeathed her sapphire engagement ring as a keepsake.
However, he selflessly gave it to his brother William for his engagement to Kate Middleton. Hotlytipped to be chosen by Harry is an emerald from an emerald choker which Diana turned into a headband. Another possibility is a sapphire given to Diana as a wedding present from the Saudi royal family.
Bookmakers have suspended betting on whether there will be an engagement but not on the month or wedding venue.
A 2018 wedding is regarded as a certainty but whether the engagement will be before or after Christmas is less clear.
The American actress, who plays legal associate Rachel Zane in the US legal drama Suits, was photographed shopping in London last week.
The outing came amid reports she has moved from Toronto, where she has just finished filming the latest series, to Harry’s cottage inside Kensington Palace. The couple, who have been dating for 16 months, are said to be “blissfully happy” there.
Meghan said in an interview in September: “It’s really simple. We’re two people who are really happy and in love.”
She will get her own Scotland Yard police bodyguards when she and Harry announce their engagement but not before, according to security sources. As with other royals, it is likely she would have to go on an SAS-style course to learn how to evade an attack.
Downing Street officials will need to be consulted on the details of a wedding, as taxpayers’ money is likely to be involved in paying for security and the Armed Forces on the big day.