Britain's Prince Harry to marry US actress Meghan Markle

Latest News

Britain's Prince Harry is engaged to his US actress girlfriend Meghan Markle with the marriage due to take place in the spring of 2018, his father Prince Charles announced in a statement on Monday.

Harry, 33, currently fifth-in-line to the British throne, and Markle, 36, best known for her role in the US TV legal drama "Suits", became engaged earlier this month, the statement issued by Clarence House said.

"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 statement said.

The couple met in July 2016 after they were introduced through friends.

The prince publicly confirmed their relationship months later in a rebuke to the media, which had been intruding into Markle's private life, but it was not until September that they made their first public appearance together at the Invictus Games in Toronto, a sports event for wounded veterans.

"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," Markle's parents Thomas Markle and Doria Ragland said in a statement.

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

Prince Harry on Thursday said no one in the royal family wants to be the king or queen but asserted that they will carry out their duties at the right time. Harry, 32, who is fifth-in-line to the throne said that several times he longed to be something other than 'Prince Harry' but noted that he is also conscious of the ability of his status to help him make a difference. "Is there any one of the royal family who wants to be king or queen? I don't think so, but we will carry out our duties at the right time," Harry was quoted as saying by the Newsweek

Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, accompanied by his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla Parker-Bowles, arrived on Wednesday on a two-day visit to India at the final leg of their 10-day four-nation tour that also took them to Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei.

"Their Royal Highnesses Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall arrive," the British High Commission in India tweeted.