Prince Harry and Meghan Markle said today he is ‘thrilled’ to be marrying the Suits star and knew she was ‘the one’ from ‘the first day we met’ as they posed in his mother’s favourite garden.
Meghan, 36, also showed the world her engagement ring designed by Harry himself containing two diamonds from Princess Diana’s own personal collection set in a gold band.
The royal looked nervous but happy and his fiancee stroked his arm lovingly as they spoke to reporters, who asked him: ‘When did you know she was the one?’ and he replied: ‘From the very first time we met’.
He refused to say how he proposed saying: ‘That will come later’ but when asked if it was romantic he said: ‘Of course it was’.
The prince said he was ‘thrilled, over the moon’ adding: ‘Very glad it’s not raining as well.’ Meghan said she was ‘so happy’ before they wandered back into Kensington Palace beaming.
Poignantly the royal chose their first photocall in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace, much loved by his late mother Diana.
Harry and his brother William had white roses planted there in her memory when the 20th anniversary of her death fell in August.
The couple will appear together on national TV in the UK for the first time this evening to discuss their engagement and whirlwind relationship of 16 months.
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 and they went on safari in September.
It is also a place the couple has spent time together over the last year and a half, Kensington Palace said.
The band is made of gold and the ring was made by Cleave and Company, Court Jewellers and Medallists to Her Majesty The Queen.
Harry, 33, who revealed a year ago he had fallen for the actress after a four to six month secret relationship, proposed to Meghan, 36, in London earlier this month.
Royal protocol dictated that fifth in line to the throne Harry had to ask his grandmother the Queen for permission to marry and she agreed in the month where she celebrated her own 70th wedding anniversary.
In a statement Her Majesty and Prince Philip said they are ‘delighted for the couple and wish them every happiness’ and this morning huge crowds of tourists and royal fans gathered outside Buckingham Palace.
Harry and his American fiancee, who divorced her first husband in 2013, will move into Nottingham Cottage in the grounds of Kensington Palace next door to his brother William and sister-in-law Kate.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge said in a joint statement: ‘We are very excited for Harry and Meghan. It has been wonderful getting to know Meghan and to see how happy she and Harry are together’. The boys’ father Prince Charles said he was ‘thrilled’ and ‘very happy indeed’ for them.
Harry also asked Meghan’s parents Thomas Markle and Doria Ragland, who divorced when their daughter was six, for her hand in marriage before popping the question a few weeks ago, it emerged today.
They said: ‘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’.
Harry and Meghan have not said where they will marry but most senior royals marry at Westminster Abbey, St Paul’s Cathedral or the chapel at Windsor Castle. Sources have said it is likely to be a church wedding, especially after the Archbishop of Canterbury gave his blessing today.
But they are likely to wait until Prince William and Kate have their third child, which is due in April.
Bookmakers refused to take any more bets on the couple getting engaged last week as Meghan landed in London and started moving her belongings and two dogs to the UK.
Social media went into meltdown but they have had to wait until today to hear that the fifth-in-line to the throne has proposed to his actress girlfriend.
The couple will also take part in a broadcast interview to be aired this evening.
Prince Charles reveals Harry is going to marry Meghan
The official announcement today
Prince Harry decision to marry his American actress girlfriend Meghan Markle was revealed by his father Prince Charles.
The much-anticipated news was confirmed by the Prince of Wales in a brief statement issued by Clarence House.
It 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.’
‘Prince Harry and Ms Markle became engaged in London earlier this month. Prince Harry has informed The Queen and other close members of The Royal 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 will take place in spring 2018. Further details will be announced in due course.’
They have chosen to state they are getting married just before they spend their first proper Christmas together and will probably head to Sandringham to spend it with the Queen and the royal family.
Miss Markle’s parents Thomas Markle and Doria Ragland said: ‘We are incredibly 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 of happiness and are very excited for their future together.’
Prime Minister Theresa May said: ‘I would like to offer my very warmest congratulations to HRH Prince Harry and Meghan Markle upon their engagement.
‘This is a time of huge celebration for two people in love. On behalf of myself, the Government and the country, I wish them great happiness for the future.’
Her predecessor David Cameron said: ‘Congratulations to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Wonderful news and I wish them a long and happy life together.’
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said: ‘Huge congratulations to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle – fantastic news! Here’s to a happy and long life together.’
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby added: ‘I am absolutely delighted to hear the news that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are now engaged.
‘I have met Prince Harry on a number of occasions and have always been struck by his commitment and passion for his charities, and his immense love for his family.
‘Marriage is a special and joyous commitment, one that Jesus celebrated together with friends at the wedding in Cana.
‘I am so happy that Prince Harry and Ms Markle have chosen to make their vows before God.
‘I wish them many years of love, happiness and fulfilment and ask that God blesses them throughout their married life together.’
Crowds gather outside Kensington Palace where Harry and Meghan are set to pose for their first photographs since getting engaged
Kate and William say it has ‘been wonderful’ getting to know Meghan Markle and see her make Harry ‘happy’
William and Kate said it had been ‘wonderful getting to know Meghan’ since the American actress began dating Harry around 18 months ago
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have expressed their delight at the news of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s engagement.
William and Kate said it had been ‘wonderful getting to know Meghan’ since the American actress began dating Harry around 18 months ago.
A date for the wedding has been set for next spring, when the country will scenes echoing Kate and Wills’ own wedding in 2011.
The couple said in a joint statement released by Kensington Palace: ‘We are very excited for Harry and Meghan. It has been wonderful getting to know Meghan and to see how happy she and Harry are together.’
The Suits star is set to move to London having quit the show and has already left her apartment in Toronto.
She is shipping her belongings to the UK including her beloved dogs – a beagle named Guy and a labrador-shepherd named Bogart.
Initially at least, the newly-engaged couple will move in together at Kensington Palace, where Prince William, Kate, Prince George and Princess Charlotte will be their neighbours.
The announcement marks an extraordinary 12 months since the couple said they were in love after a whirlwind romance where the prince quickly became ‘besotted’, royal sources said.
The 36-year-old actress, who is best known for her role as Rachel Zane in US legal drama Suits, is believed to have charmed the Royal when he visited Toronto in the summer of 2016.
They managed to keep their relationship secret from the world – but it later emerged she had met William and Kate and he had met her family in California.
Their cover was blown when keen observers spotted pictures of them wearing matching bracelets. The Prince followed the actress on Instagram using a pseudonym.
She also went to Wimbledon and Buckingham Palace this year coinciding with a period when Harry was in London but were never seen together.
As news of their love affair broke on Halloween last year, Harry was forced to abandon a secret trip to visit his actress girlfriend in Canada.
Meghan then flew to London two weeks later during a gap in her filming schedule and was photographed by MailOnline buying food on Kensington High Street, Princess Diana’s favourite shopping street.
Days later, in an extraordinary statement on his love life, Harry said he is ‘worried about Miss Markle’s safety’ since rumours of their relationship first surfaced nine days ago.
He lashed out at media intrusion and the ‘sexism and racism of social media trolls’ in a statement which said ‘this is not a game – it is her life and his’ and that he is ‘deeply disappointed that he has not been able to protect her’.
The daughter of an African-American mother and a father of Dutch and Irish descent, Miss Markle spent time on film sets as a child.
Her father Thomas was a cinematographer, and worked on the hit US sitcom Married With Children; her mother is Doria Ragland – a social worker and yoga therapist.
Doria was just 20 years old, and temping in a TV studio, when she caught the eye of Meghan’s father.
At the time, Thomas was a 32-year-old divorcee with two children. They married in 1979, and Meghan was born two years later.
Meghan remains close to her mother, who divorced her father when she was six, and is often seen with her on the red carpet.
At Prince Harry’s Invictus Games in Toronto in September, Meghan brought Doria to the closing ceremony in a sign of their closeness.
Doria, who filed for bankruptcy in 2002 over a $52,750 credit-card bill, appears to be the one of the defining influences on her daughter’s life.
Meghan, who has described her childhood as happy and settled, has an older brother, Thomas Markle Jr.
She also has a wheelchair-bound estranged half-sister, Samantha Grant, 52 – who is writing a book about her sibling.
Grant’s book has the working title ‘The Diary of Princess Pushy’s Sister’ and it will talk in-depth about her family’s racist past, it was revealed in September.
The mother-of-three, who has multiple sclerosis, previously revealed that the last time she saw her half-sister – the siblings share the same father – was at her graduation in 2008.
The previously unseen book pitch suggests Grant will lift the lid on overt racism in her own family – but adds that the birth of Meghan in 1981 made her ‘forever colour blind’.
WHERE WILL THEY MARRY IN 2018?
Harry was said to have offered to pay for a bodyguard for his girlfriend, which he had never offered to do for ex-girlfriends in the past.
But his brother Prince William was said to be deeply unhappy over his younger brother’s decision to issue an unprecedented public statement, which was branded hot-headed by royal sources.
Weeks later Harry was accused of breaching royal protocol by making a 1,700-mile detour to visit his girlfriend after an official tour.
The prince was expected to fly home from the Caribbean, but he changed plans and instead boarded a flight to Toronto to see her
It was not until December when Harry and Meghan were pictured together for the first time on a romantic date in London, where they saw critically-acclaimed play The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time at the Gielgud Theatre.
Both were wearing beanie hats and were talking animatedly and smiling as they strolled along Shaftesbury Avenue on the last weekend before Christmas.
Days earlier Megan had been seen buying a tree for her boyfriend in Kensington, close to his palace flat.
But despite their burgeoning affair she did not go with Harry to Sandringham to spend Christmas with the Queen.
After splitting their time together between Britain and Canada they made their first official appearance together in September this year as a couple when they attended a wheelchair tennis match.
They arrived and left holding hands, and spent half an hour in full public view, cheering the competitors and laughing together.
Miss Markle, who wore a white Misha Nonoo shirt called The Husband, ripped jeans and flat shoes, appeared unconcerned by the attention as she sat at her boyfriend’s side.
Their willingness to be seen – and photographed – together was seen as a further sign that the couple were heading towards marriage.
Days earlier she had joined Harry at the opening of the Invictus Games. She was discreetly chaperoned not only by one of Harry’s Scotland Yard police protection officers but also by Rose Hall, of the Invictus Games Foundation, who had spent the week by Harry’s side.
PM congratulates Harry and Meghan but news is booed at Labour event
Theresa May tweeted her congratulations for the couple son after news of their engagement broke this morning
Theresa May congratulated Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on their engagement and says it is a ‘time of huge celebration and excitement for two people in love’
The PM said it is ‘a time of huge celebration and excitement for two people in love’.
She said: ‘I would like to offer my very warmest congratulations to HRH Prince Harry and Meghan Markle upon their engagement’
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn also wished the newly engaged couple well as he spoke at a rally in Scotland today.
But the crowd of Corbynistas who had gone to the rally to hear him speak booed when a journalist asked him about the engagement.
Mr Corbyn – a staunch republican – said: ‘My congratulations to Harry and Meghan. I wish them well. hope they have a great time and great fun together and having met harry a couple of times I’m sure they are going to have a great deal of fun together.
‘What I would also like to say is that I do really admire the way that harry and his brother have drawn attention to mental health conditions all across the country.
‘I wish them well, thank him for what he’s done for mental health and hope they have a great life together.’
Miss Markle marked a change in Harry’s taste in women, as he tends to go for society blondes. She’s also no shrinking violet – but he’s also no shrinking violet either.
Her Suits character – a legal assistant – is filmed in one scene in her bra as she consummates her relationship with junior partner Mike Ross in the office store room.
Harry’s first – and most serious relationship – was with Zimbabwean designer Chelsy Davy, with whom he had a tempestuous seven-year relationship.
Dancer and actress Cressida Bonas was his most recent long-term girlfriend but the couple split after two years in 2014.
Miss Markle is older than him – an attractive quality as the Prince has often spoken of his desire to commit and start a family like his brother.
The actress has lived in Toronto for several years.
She married her long-term boyfriend, film producer Trevor Engelson, 40, in Jamaica in 2011, but the couple split after just two years and they later divorced.
She later dated a leading Toronto chef, but now lives with just her two rescue dogs Bogart and Guy.
Meghan graduated from Northwestern University, where she studied theatre and international relations, and worked for the US Embassy in Buenos Aires.
The actress initially worked as a freelance calligrapher, once writing invitations to singer Robin Thicke’s wedding, before getting the role in Suits which has made her a household name in the US.
Miss Markle, who is also a successful businesswoman, bonded with Harry over their fondness for Africa and humanitarian work despite their very different lifestyles.
Miss Markle visited Rwanda to work on a clean water project earlier this year in her role as a global ambassador for World Vision Canada.
She was recently appointed an Advocate for Women for the United Nations and spoke in front of UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon.
She also travelled to Afghanistan to support US forces and their families. Both she and Harry both reportedly like yoga and the Prince is increasingly keen to establish his humanitarian credentials.
Miss Markle has spoken of her desire to study international affairs in the future.
Tourists visiting Kensington Palace today were ‘ecstatic’ at the news Prince Harry was engaged to American actress Meghan Markle.
Anne Whitehead from Cheshire was visiting with her friend Jill Johnson said ‘It’s really nice for him.
‘I feel like he’s finally got a place of his own and isn’t just tagging along with Wills and Kate.
‘She’s not a traditional European princess but that doesn’t matter. They look great together too.
‘I think Diana would be very proud.’
Sandra Forward, with her friend Sue Stepney from East Sussex said: ‘I can’t wait to see what her ring is like.
‘I’ve heard that it’s being made from Diana’s jewellery which would be amazing.
Sue Stepney, also from East Sussex added: ‘I’m so pleased for him. Diana would be ecstatic to see her boys so happy.
‘We’ve never seen Suits but we really like Meghan Markle.
‘It doesn’t matter that she’s not the traditional princess if she makes him happy.
‘She’s in showbiz too, so she’ll know how to cope with the media pressure.’
Shirley Flanagan, visiting from Belfast said: ‘I didn’t know until we left the Palace. We were visiting the exhibition of Diana’s dresses.
‘It’s so nice. I like her in Suits. She’s very appealing to people, like Diana was.
‘I’m only slightly disappointed he can’t be my son-in-law now!’
‘I bet all of the Americans and Canadians are loving it.
‘The tour of Kensington Palace was short, we were really disappointed the Orangery was closed off but we didn’t know why!
‘We saw the Diana exhibition. It was so lovely, her dresses are so beautiful.
Natalie Kethro, visiting from Brisbane, Australia said: ‘It’s really great news. People in Australia will be really happy.
‘There’s a big following there of Harry and William so I imagine everyone back home is getting excited and planning parties to watch the wedding.’
‘Our daughter has always been a kind and loving person. To see her with Harry, who shares the same qualities, is a source of great joy’: Meghan’s parents lead congratulations to the newly engaged couple
Meghan Markle’s parents led the congratulations to their daughter and Prince Harry today after the couple announced their engagement.
Thomas Markle and Doria Ragland told how they were ‘incredibly happy’ for the couple, while Prince Charles said he was ‘thrilled’ for his son and the US actress.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge told how they were ‘very excited’ for Harry and Miss Markle, while the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh said they were ‘delighted’.
Politicians also reacted joyfully, with Prime Minister Theresa May saying it was a ‘time of huge celebration’, and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson calling it ‘fantastic news’.
‘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 of happiness and are very excited for their future together.’
Miss Markle is close to her ‘free-spirited’ mother and her ‘thoughtful, inspiring’ father, and has previously written lovingly of her relationship with both.
Visiting Poundbury in Dorset, the Prince of Wales said he was ‘thrilled’ and ‘very happy indeed’ for Harry and Miss Markle.
Meanwhile a Buckingham Palace spokesman said the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh ‘are delighted for the couple and wish them every happiness’.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Harry’s brother Prince William and sister-in-law Kate, added: ‘We are very excited for Harry and Meghan.
‘It has been wonderful getting to know Meghan and to see how happy she and Harry are together.’
Mrs May said: ‘I would like to offer my very warmest congratulations to HRH Prince Harry and Meghan Markle upon their engagement.
‘This is a time of huge celebration for two people in love. On behalf of myself, the Government and the country, I wish them great happiness for the future.’
Her predecessor David Cameron said: ‘Congratulations to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Wonderful news and I wish them a long and happy life together.’
Meghan Markle ‘s parents led the congratulations to their daughter and Prince Harry today
And Mr Johnson added: ‘Huge congratulations to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle – fantastic news! Here’s to a happy and long life together.’
Speaking in Glasgow today, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said: ‘Congratulations to Harry and Meghan. I wish them well.
‘I hope they have a great time and great fun together – and, having met Harry a couple of times, I’m sure they are going to have a great deal of fun together.
‘What I would also like to say is that I really do admire the way that Harry and his brother have drawn attention to mental health conditions all across the country.
‘I wish them well, thank him for what he’s done on mental health and hope they have a great life together.’
Meanwhile Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby added: ‘I am absolutely delighted to hear the news that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are now engaged.
‘I have met Prince Harry on a number of occasions and have always been struck by his commitment and passion for his charities, and his immense love for his family.
‘Marriage is a special and joyous commitment, one that Jesus celebrated together with friends at the wedding in Cana.
‘I am so happy that Prince Harry and Ms Markle have chosen to make their vows before God.
‘I wish them many years of love, happiness and fulfilment and ask that God blesses them throughout their married life together.’
DailyMail.com US Editor-at-Large Piers Morgan tweeted: ‘Congrats Meghan and Harry. My friend will make the perfect modern bride. PS Do I get an invite, Meghan Markle?’
Mail sketch writer Quentin Letts added: ‘Fun for theatreland to have an actress join the Royal Family. Various companies will be itching to have Mrs Harry for a patron.’
Fifth in line to the throne Harry, 33, has been dating the 36-year-old star, who found fame in the US legal drama Suits, since the summer of 2016.
Their 16-month whirlwind romance blossomed when they met through mutual friends in London.
The pair have been almost inseparable in recent months, with Miss Markle said to have virtually moved in to Harry’s home at Kensington Palace.
Meghan Markle is set to leave her native Toronto and move into a cottage on the grounds of Kensington Palace with her husband-to-be, Prince Harry.
The newly-engaged couple will live together in the modest royal residence Nottingham Cottage, in the grounds of Kensington Palace.
Dubbed ‘Nott Cott’ by palace insiders, the pair will enjoy their engagement in the property Harry made his bachelor pad some four years ago – before which it was Prince William and Kate’s first marital home.
It has previously been suggested the couple are hunting for a country retreat in either Norfolk, close to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s home Anmer Hall, or in the West Country.
Harry asked his grandmother the Queen for permission before proposing to Meghan after taking her for tea
Prince Harry had to ask the Queen’s consent to marry.
Although the monarch is unlikely to have withheld her blessing, she would only have said ‘no’ on the advice of the Prime Minister, whom she will have informed.
Harry’s grandmother will sign an Instrument of Consent – an elaborate notice of approval, transcribed in calligraphy, and issued under the Great Seal of the Realm – at a Privy Council meeting ahead of the wedding – just like she did for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
Harry took Meghan Markle to meet the Queen for afternoon tea at Buckingham Palace in October to introduce her to the woman he wanted to wed.
For hundreds of years, the Royal Marriages Act 1772 required descendants of George II to seek the sovereign’s consent before they wed, otherwise their marriages were deemed invalid.
But this law was repealed through the Succession to the Crown Act 2013, which came into effect in 2015 when all the Commonwealth countries in which the Queen is head of state passed any necessary legislation.
Yet the new Act still requires fifth-in-line Harry to obtain the Queen’s permission.
It restricted the consent to just the first six people in the line of succession: now the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Prince Harry and the Duke of York.
If Harry failed to get the Queen’s approval, he and his future descendants would have been disqualified from succeeding to the Crown.
The Act was a radical shake-up of the rules of royal succession, removing male bias.
Thanks to the new law, a member of the Royal Family can now also marry a Roman Catholic and not lose their place in the line of succession. But a Roman Catholic royal still cannot be king or queen.
King George III, George II’s grandson, ordered the now repealed 1772 act after his younger brother the Duke of Cumberland secretly married Lady Anne Horton, deemed to be a highly disreputable widow of a commoner.
Labour peer Lord Dubs once branded the law ‘the Dangerous Dogs Act of its day’, saying it was ‘passed in haste owing to George III’s chagrin that his relatives were getting married without consulting him’.
There is no requirement that royals marry someone of royal or aristocratic blood.
It was also previously occupied by Princess Diana’s sister Lady Jane Fellowes and her husband Sir Robert Fellowes, the Queen’s former secretary.
Nottingham Cottage is something of a starter home ideal for the newlywed couple – a two-bedroom property boasting rooms designed by Sir Christopher Wren, a couple of snug reception rooms and small yard.
Situated just steps away from William and Kate’s far grander establishment, Nottingham Cottage is sufficient for one, or two.
One of the smallest properties on the estate, it has two bedrooms, a small living room, kitchen and bathroom.
Meghan has stayed at the property several times while visiting Harry over the past 12 months, and will no doubt be adding her own personal touches to her new home – after Kate repainted the walls and gave it a revamp when she moved in.
Much of Kensington Palace is now offices, and the remaining royal apartments are occupied by such individuals as the Duke and Duchess of Kent and Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.
Meghan Markle’s body double on Suits confirmed widespread reports that Meghan is to leave the show – by posting a message of good luck to the actress.
‘It’s been an absolute pleasure and honor being your ‘STAND-IN’ for the last 2 seasons,’ wrote Nicky Bursic, a six-year veteran of the show.
‘Though I’ve been on @suits_usa for 6 years , the latter 2 has been my most memorable. Wishing you all the happiness in the world Bella.’
The dogs are coming to London
Meghan Markle is moving her dogs to the UK in the clearest sign yet that she is planning to live in London with Prince Harry.
The 36-year-old US actress, who has been dating the prince since last summer, is known to be extremely fond of her labrador-shepherd Bogart and beagle Guy.
Prince Harry, 33, is also said to have become very attached to the dogs while visiting Miss Markle, who lets them sleep on her bed and feeds them on an organic diet.
‘The fact she’s started the process of moving them to England is the clearest hint yet that she sees her future living in London with Harry,’ a source said.
3. Bookies stop taking bets
Everything about the teatime meeting was deliberately informal, the Mail learned, in part it was to settle any nerves Meghan might have felt but also to ensure it was not widely publicised within the palace.
9. Meghan’s car is in London and her possessions shipped
The ex-Suits star has bought herself a VW Golf to drive around London as she prepares for life in the UK.
She also brought clothes and important possessions but the remainder of her furnitire and other belongings are being shipped over from Canada.
The last time an attractive young woman linked to a Prince was seen being driven through the streets in a flash car was when a certain Kate Middleton was pictured in an Audi A3 before her engagement to William in 2010.
10. Lands in London and goes straight for a facial
Following a seven-and-a-half hour flight from Toronto, Meghan Markle treated herself to a touch of retail therapy and facial treatments at a very exclusive spa.
On Tuesday Meghan, 36, was seen carrying a bag from the Sarah Chapman spa in Chelsea and was accompanied by the celebrity facialist herself as she left the beautician’s.
It is no wonder that Chapman’s Skinesis Clinic was top of Meghan’s list when it came to skin treatments with the spa boasting an all-star clientele including Victoria Beckham and Gigi Hadid.
Meghan also pops to Mayfair salon Nails & Brows, which is also a favourite of Princess Beatrice.
The beauty treatment could be a clue that she was preparing herself for an official statement and perhaps an official photoshoot with Harry.
And following the announcement of Prince Harry’s engagement to Meghan Markle, many royal fans will be wondering what title the actress will take on.
While many would presume that Meghan would take on the title of Princess having married a Prince, this is not the case.
It is likely that the couple will, like Kate and William, be awarded a dukedom by the Monarch on the occasion of their wedding, with Vogue reporting that the newlyweds will become the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
It is likely that the Queen will grant the couple a dukedom and Sussex is a likely title for the pair having not been in the royal family since 1843.
Under the British Monarchy, the title is only given to those who are born into royalty, meaning that if Meghan and Harry were to have children they would be referred to as princes and princesses.
The same went for Kate and William at their wedding six years ago with Wills adding Duke to his own title after the Queen granted the couple with a ‘dukedom’.
Kate is only bestowed the royal title in reference to her husband known as Princess William, and once he inherits his father’s title she can then be referred to as Princess of Wales.
The same goes for Meghan and Harry. The 36-year-old US actress may be referred to as HRH Princess Henry.
It is likely that the couple will too be awarded a dukedom by the Monarch on the occasion of their wedding with Vogue reporting that the newlyweds will become the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
The magazine reports that the county of Sussex has not been filled since 1843, making it a strong candidate for the couples new title.
Prince Harry is currently fifth in line to the throne and will move down to sixth when the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge welcome their third baby, expected to arrive in April.
However, while marrying Harry will give Meghan a royal title she will not join the line of succession.
Marriage to a royal does not put you in line to the throne and you are in only if you have succession rights in your own right.
For example, Prince Philip is in Line of the Succession in his own right, as descendant of Queen Victoria.
A right royal Christmas for Meghan! Prince Harry’s fiance expected to join the Queen for traditional festive celebrations at Sandringham following engagement
A right royal Christmas for Meghan! Prince Harry’s fiance expected to join the Queen for traditional festive celebrations at Sandringham following engagement
There is no doubt that the royal family will be dying to congratulate the newly engaged Prince Harry and fiance Meghan Markle.
And they will get the perfect opportunity to do just that when the US actress joins the family for Christmas at Sandringham.
It is thought that the 36-year-old will secure an invite to the traditional festivities following the announcement of the engagement.
Meghan was not invited to join the royal family’s celebrations last year with it considered unprecedented as the invite usually reserved for close family.
But with a wedding on the way Meghan is expected to be welcomed to the three day celebrations in the Norfolk home.
It would breakaway from tradition however, as Kate was not invited to join Prince William for Christmas in 2010 despite announcing their engagement a month before, however, it does seem to be on the cards.
According to Closer magazine, Meghan is ‘thrilled’ at the prospect of joining her Prince for Christmas.
A source told the magazine that Kate is willing to offer Meghan a hand to hold through her first experience.
‘Kate’s offered to put Doria (Meghan’s mother) up in a guest bedroom at Anmer Hall,’ said a source, in relation to the property on the Sandringham estate Kate shares with William.
