No 10 is blamed for engagement rumour

WHEN a couple agree to marry, telling friends, family and the waiting world is all part of the fun.

Any hopes Prince Harry and Meghan Markle may harbour about enjoying such pleasures have been resolutely dashed, after a series of crossed wires saw news of their apparently impending wedding fly around the world.

Yesterday, the finger of blame for fuelling engagement rumours was pointed at Downing Street, after several newspapers reported that the Prime Minister had “cleared her diary” on Thursday.

A source told The Sunday Times that No 10 had been “primed” to respond to an 11am announcement, as Theresa May prepared for a meeting in Brussels.

From the world of politics, reportedly, news leaked to media organisations around the world, which began calling Kensington and Buckingham Palaces for confirmation, only to be told a spokesman would not issue a “running commentary” on Prince Harry’s love life.

In fact, there had been no such announcement planned. Nor did speculation about an 11am or 5pm Friday announcement come to pass.

A Government source said that there were “channels of communication” between Buckingham Palace and Downing Street before big announcement. They declined to say if talks had already taken place, but added they were “pretty sure it was not” No 10 that started the rumour.

Prince Harry and Ms Markle are understood to be together at Kensington Palace this week, after the actress finished work in Toronto and moved out of her Canadian home.

In 2010, Prince William and Catherine Middleton announced their engagement without warning, just hours after informing the Queen and the Prince of Wales.

This week, Prince Harry has no pre-announced public engagements, leaving his diary clear for a last-minute decision.