Prince Harry says he is "thrilled" after announcing he is to marry US actress

girlfriend Meghan Markle.

The prince, fifth in line to the throne, will marry Ms Markle in spring 2018.

The couple, who have been dating since the summer of 2016, secretly got engaged
earlier this month.

They posed for photographs outside Kensington Palace in London, where they will live,
with Prince Harry saying it had been a romantic proposal.

A smiling Ms Markle, wearing a white belted coat, held Harry's hand as they appeared
briefly for the press at the palace's Sunken Garden, and showed off her diamond
engagement ring.

Asked by a reporter when he knew Ms Markle "was the one", Prince Harry said: "The
very first time we met".

Ms Markle said she was "so very happy, thank you".

Image copyrightAFPImage captionMs Markle showed off her engagement ring to the press

A TV interview the couple are giving to the BBC's Mishal Husain will be broadcast at
18:00 GMT.

Kensington Palace said Ms Markle's engagement ring was designed by Prince Harry
and features two diamonds which belong to his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.

At the centre of the ring is a diamond from Botswana, a country the couple has spent
time together over the last year and a half. The band is made from gold.
Image copyrightREUTERSImage copyrightGETTY IMAGES

Prince Charles also said he was "thrilled", adding that Ms Markle's parents had given
their blessing.
Only the Queen and "other close members of his family" initially knew of the
engagement, which took place in London, Prince Charles said on Twitter.
Latest updates: Prince Harry announces engagement
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When Prince Harry met Meghan Markle

The announcement, issued by Clarence House, the Prince of Wales and Duchess of
Cornwall's official residence, said details about the wedding day would be unveiled "in
due course".

He said the couple will live at Nottingham Cottage in Kensington Palace, Prince Harry's
current home.
When Harry met MeghanExit player
Media captionWhen Harry met Meghan

The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh said they were "delighted for the couple and wish
them every happiness", a Buckingham Palace spokesman said.

Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, said they were "very excited for
Harry and Meghan", adding: "It has been wonderful getting to know Meghan and to see
how happy she and Harry are together."
Image copyrightGETTY IMAGESImage captionMs Markle met Prince Harry through mutual friends
in London in July 2016
Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, whose predecessor officiated at the Duke
and Duchess of Cambridge's wedding in 2011, wished them "many years of love,
happiness and fulfilment".

Prime Minister Theresa May offered her "very warmest congratulations" and wished the
couple "great happiness for the future".

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said: "I wish them well - I hope they have a great life
together."

He joked: "Having met Harry a couple of times I'm sure they're going to have a great
deal of fun together."
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 Clarence House
The Prince of Wales is delighted to announce the engagement of Prince Harry to Ms.
Meghan Markle.
2:00 AM - Nov 27, 2017

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25,72925,729 Retweets

60,92660,926 likes

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End of Twitter post by @ClarenceHouse

Ms Markle's parents, Thomas Markle and Doria Ragland, said their daughter was a
"kind and loving person" and they were "incredibly happy".

They added: "To see her union with Harry, who shares the same qualities, is a source of
great joy for us as parents."
Prince Harry, 33 and Ms Markle, 36, made their first public appearance as a couple in
September at the opening ceremony of the Invictus Games, a sporting event set up by
the prince for injured, wounded and sick soldiers.

Their married home will be the prince's current residence, Nottingham Cottage, on the
grounds of Kensington Palace - where the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, with
Prince George and Princess Charlotte, also have an apartment.
Image copyrightPAImage captionThe couple will live in Prince Harry's current home, Nottingham
Cottage at Kensington Palace

Their 16-month relationship began in July 2016 when they met through mutual friends in
London.
Prince Harry first confirmed his relationship with Ms Markle in November 2016, in a
statement from Kensington Palace attacking the media for subjecting her to a "wave of
abuse and harassment".

That statement said the couple were "a few months into a relationship" and it was "not
right" that Ms Markle should receive such treatment.

It described nightly legal battles to keep defamatory stories out of papers, attempts by
reporters and photographers to get into her home and the "bombardment" of nearly
every friend and loved one in her life.
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 Meghan Markle's life among Toronto 'royalty'
Ms Markle spoke about her love for the prince for the first time in September -
telling Vanity Fair magazine: "We're two people who are really happy and in love".

She said the pair were enjoying a "special" time together, adding: "I'm sure there will be
a time when we will have to come forward and present ourselves and have stories to
tell, but I hope what people will understand is that this is our time."

Ms Markle may not have been a familiar name in Britain until recently, but in the US she
is better known for her role as Rachel Zane in TV legal drama Suits.
Image copyrightGETTY IMAGESImage captionThere had been speculation about the pair since they
were pictured at the Invictus Games in September

She attended a private primary school before studying at a girls' Roman Catholic
college and later graduating from Northwestern University School of Communication in
2003, just as her acting career was beginning.

Until recently, a union with Ms Markle would have ruled Prince Harry out of succeeding
to the throne - due to her being a Roman Catholic.
But new rules on royal succession came into force in 2015, allowing members of the Royal
Family to marry a Roman Catholic and become king or queen.

What will we call her?

Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES

The instant Prince Harry and Ms Markle are pronounced "man and wife" she will
automatically become Her Royal Highness, Princess Henry of Wales.

However, she does not automatically become Princess Meghan - because she is not of
royal blood.

The Queen's late sister Margaret was entitled to call herself Princess Margaret. The
Queen's daughter is Princess Anne and her granddaughters are Princess Beatrice and
Princess Eugenie.
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The Queen's great granddaughter, Prince William's daughter, is Princess Charlotte. All
of these are, or were, of royal blood and so are princesses in their own right.

But Princess Charlotte's mother, the Duchess of Cambridge, is not known as Princess
Catherine, just as the Duchess of York never became Princess Sarah and the Countess
of Wessex, the wife of Prince Edward, is not Princess Sophie.
Lady Diana Spencer was never officially Princess Diana. She was the Princess of
Wales and, after her divorce from Prince Charles, she was Diana, Princess of Wales.