Unless you’ve been living under a rock – like, WAY FAR DOWN under a rock – then you are likely aware of the major news this week:
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are engaged!
At last!
The very long-gestating rumor is now an even more exciting reality, as the Royal Family itself released the following statement on Sunday evening:
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.
In the subsequent 24 hours since this announcement was made, the Internet has been blowing up with congratulatory messages, quotes from various British people and enticing tidbits of information.
Did you know Harry proposed over a roasted chicken dinner, for instance?
Or that Markle’s engagement ring is partly comprised of diamonds once worn by Princess Diana?
Or even that Markle’s pet corgi apparently loves Harry?
The beloved couple opened up about these pressing pieces of information, along with plenty more, in their first-sit down interview as an engaged couple.
And now Markle and Harry have revealed two more major bombshells:
- Their wedding date.
- Their wedding venue.
At a special briefing at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday, official Royal sources confirmed the Wedding of the Decade will take place in May at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.
During said briefing, the couple’s Kensington Palace spokesman added that the soon-to-be newlyweds are “extremely grateful following the warm public response” to their new status.
Added this spokesperson:
“Windsor is a very special place for Prince Harry, and he and Ms. Markle have regularly spent time there during the last year.
“They are delighted that the beautiful grounds of Windsor Castle will be where they begin their lives as a married couple.”
Look for Queen Elizabeth to be in attendance at the event, which will be treated like a national holiday across Great Britain.
The day will be “shaped so that members of the public” feel like a part of it, the Palace explained, saying:
“This wedding, like all weddings, will be a moment of fun and joy and reflect the characters” of both the bride and groom.
Markle, meanwhile, will be baptized and confirmed in the Church of England prior to the nuptials.
She’s already going through the process of becoming a British citizen.
In a wide-ranging interview with BBC News, Markle confirmed yesterday that she is basically retired from acting.
The couple also said they were set up by a mutual friend and that they’ve been taken aback by some of the racial harassment that has stemmed from Markle’s mixed heritage.
“At the end of the day I am proud of who I am and where I have come from,” said Markle, adding:
“We have never put any focus on that, we have just focused on who we are as a couple.”
As for what other Royal family think of the engagement?
“William and I are absolutely thrilled,” Kate Middleton told reporters today at the Foundling Museum in London.
“It’s such exciting news. It’s a really happy time for any couple and we wish them all the best and hope they enjoy this happy moment.”
Middleton, of course, is expecting her third child with Prince William in April.
What a spring it will be for our friends across the Atlantic!