The countdown is officially on.
For several weeks, celebrity gossip sites such as the one you’re reading now have speculated on just when Meghan Markle and Prince Harry will get engaged.
(Yes, it’s now a matter of when, not if.)
But The Daily Mail now claims to have the inside scoop on what is bound to be a monumental event, updating fans this week with an educated guess on when Harry will pop life’s most important question.
In short, fans of the royal family ought to circle August 4 on their calendars.
What makes certain sources believe this is the date on which Harry will ask for Markle’s hand in marriage?
It’s actually the actress’ birthday and the birthday of the late Queen Mother.
So there’s some pretty strong symbolism there.
Meanwhile, the same newspaper goes on to state that the wedding will NOT take place on November 20 because that is the 70th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth tying to knot with Prince Philip.
But the wedding is likely to be held on a Saturday.
How is that for some wild and premature speculation?!?
Talk of Markle dating Harry first surfaced in late October of last year.
Since then, the romance has been confirmed by both sides, most notably when Prince Harry (through a spokesperson) actually issued a lengthy statement that acknowledged the relationship.
It also put haters on notice, warning online trolls who had been giving Markle grief to back the heck up and to know their role.
In a manner of speaking, that is.
“The past week has seen a line crossed,” read the open letter, which was a first of its kind for Kensington Palace.
It went on to say that Harry’s “girlfriend, Meghan Markle, has been subject to a wave of abuse and harassment…
“Some of this has been very public – the smear on the front page of a national newspaper; the racial undertones of comment pieces; and the outright sexism and racism of social media trolls and web article comments…
“It is not right that a few months into a relationship with him that Ms. Markle should be subjected to such a storm…
“This is not a game – it is her life and his.”
Markle and Harry, meanwhile, attended the Caribbean the wedding of Tom Inskip over the weekend, at which Harry served as an usher.
“This the first time that she and Harry have socialised so openly as a couple and is a significant step up in their relationship,” a source who was also at the event said.
Added this same onlooker:
“Make no mistake, he is heads over heels about her. This one could go all the way.”
Yes, all the way, folks! As in… marriage!
Markle is not filming the USA Network hit Suits at the moment, so she’s free to spend all the time she can with Harry.
Insiders say she is therefore “virtually” residing at Harry’s Kensington Palace cottage, with oddsmakers placing the odds of these two getting engaged at 9/4.
Aside from his feelings for her, Harry is likely to propose simply so Markle can spend more time with his family.
Based on Royal protocol, she couldn’t spend Christmas with his famous loved ones because she wasn’t betrothed to the Prince.
“Harry knows the rules of the Royal Family and he knows that until they get engaged, Meghan will not have a place around that Christmas dinner table,” royal expert Katie Nicholl recently told ET online.