Engagement ring was designed by Prince Harry
PRINCE Harry declared he was “thrilled” as he and bride-to-be Meghan Markle made their first appearance in public since the announcement of their engagement.
Harry and American actress Ms Markle stepped out briefly in front of the cameras hand in hand at an open-air photocall in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace.
Their long-anticipated engagement was announced by the Prince of Wales yesterday with a statement saying the couple, who have been dating for 16 months, will marry in the spring next year.
A beaming Ms Markle, in a white belted coat, clutched Harry’s hand with both of her hands as they posed briefly for the press, and showed off her diamond engagement ring.
Ms Markle said she was “so very happy, thank you” to be engaged to Harry.
The prince said he was “thrilled, over the moon” adding: “Very glad it’s not raining as well.”
The couple were smiling and giggling throughout their appearance.
Kensington Palace said the prince designed Ms Markle’s engagement ring himself – using two stones which belong to his late mother.
The two outside stones are diamonds from the personal collection of Diana, Princess of Wales.
At the centre is a diamond from Botswana, a country that holds special significance for Harry who has visited many times since he was a child.
Ms Markle will become an HRH and a senior royal after marrying Harry and joining the Windsors.
She is expected to become a duchess – just like Kate Middleton did when she became the Duchess of Cambridge after saying her vows in 2011.
But unlike Kate, Ms Markle is not a future queen. With the arrival of the Cambridges’ children, Harry is too far down the line of succession to have a realistic prospect of being monarch.