Prince Harry Announces Engagement To Meghan Markle

27 November 2017, 10:03 | Updated: 27 November 2017, 10:24

Prince Harry is to marry Meghan Markle.

The 33-year-old Prince announced his engagement to the American actress this morning.

The couple have been dating for around 18 months. A Royal Wedding will take place in the spring next year.

- What kind of wedding can you expect for Harry and Meghan?

Prince Harry with Meghan Markle
Prince Harry with Meghan Markle. Picture: PA

A statement from Clarence House read: "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.

"His Royal Highness and Ms. Markle became engaged in London earlier this month. Prince Harry has informed Her Majesty The Queen and other close members of his family. Prince Harry has also sought and received the blessing of Ms. Markle's parents.

"The couple will live in Nottingham Cottage at Kensington Palace."

The wedding announcement of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
The wedding announcement of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Picture: Clarence House

Ms Markle's parents, Thomas Markle and Doria Ragland, said: "We are incredible 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.

"We wish them a lifetime or happiness and are very excited for their future together."

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle talk during the Invictus Games
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle talk during the Invictus Games. Picture: PA

Markle, 36, is best known as an actress in the US series Suits. Born in Los Angeles, she describes herself as a "proud mixed race woman".

This will be Ms Markle's second wedding. She married actor Trevor Engelson in 2011 and divorced two years later.

News of her relationship with Prince Harry was announced in an unprecedented statement from the Royals on November 8th last year. The statement demanded a stop to the "wave of abuse and harassment" directed towards Ms Markle and her family.

In her only interview about the relationship, she told Vanity Fair: "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."

Their only public appearance was during the Opening ceremony of the Invictus Games in September this year.