The Associated Press
LONDON–Actress, humanitarian campaigner, lifestyle blogger–and, next spring, a royal.
Palace officials announced today that Prince Harry is engaged to Meghan Markle, confirming months of rumours that the couple was close to tying the knot.
Harry’s brother, Prince William, and his pregnant wife, Kate, welcomed Markle to the royal family.
“We are very excited for Harry and Meghan,” they said in a statement.
“It has been wonderful getting to know Meghan and to see how happy she and Harry are together.”
The announcement means another grand royal wedding is in the offing–the first since William and and Kate married in 2011.
In some ways, Markle–mixed-race American raised in California, an outspoken full-time actress, and a divorcee–makes a surprising addition to Britain’s monarchy.
But the institution has moved on with the times, and the romance between Markle and Harry, who repeatedly has stressed his wish to lead as “normal” a life as he could, has a decidedly unstuffy, modern feel to it.
Markle, best known for her role as an ambitious paralegal in the hit U.S. legal drama “Suits,” surprised many when she shared her feelings for Harry in a September cover story for Vanity Fair.
Asked about the media frenzy surrounding their courtship, the 36-year-old replied, “At the end of the day I think it’s really simple . . . we’re two people who are really happy and in love.”
Describing Harry as her “boyfriend,” Markle said that while she expected that she and Harry would have to “come forward” about their relationship at some point, the two were just a couple enjoying time spent with each other.
“Personally, I love a great love story,” she added.
Harry–once known for his “bad boy” antics, including being photographed playing strip billiards in Las Vegas–largely has won over the British public with his winning smile, his military career, and his devotion to charities aimed at helping disabled veterans and other causes.
The 33-year-old prince recently won praise with his work campaigning for more openness about mental health issues.
Speaking candidly about his personal struggle to cope with the loss of his mother, Princess Diana, when he was only 12, he encouraged others to talk about their own problems rather than keeping them bottled up inside.
Meanwhile, Markle’s Vanity Fair interview broke new ground. It is unusual for a royal love interest to speak so publicly–and candidly–before becoming engaged.
Harry’s past reported girlfriends all shied away from the media limelight, and his sister-in-law, formerly known as Kate Middleton, stayed silent until she and Prince William gave a formal televised interview at Buckingham Palace after their engagement became public.
But then, unlike some other “commoners” romantically linked to Britain’s royals, Markle is no stranger to media exposure and the world of show business.
The actress’s most successful role is the feisty Rachel Zane in the TV legal show “Suits,” now in its seventh season.
Her career has included small parts on TV series, including “Fringe,” “CSI: Miami,” “Knight Rider,” and “Castle,” as well as movies such as “Horrible Bosses.”
Outside of acting, Markle founded a lifestyle blog called TheTig.com (which closed down in April without explanation), and has lent her celebrity status to humanitarian causes.
She has campaigned with the United Nations on gender equality, written in Time magazine about girls’ education and the stigma surrounding menstruation, and has travelled to Rwanda as global ambassador for the charity World Vision Canada.
She has described how her mother took her to the slums of Jamaica to witness poverty first-hand, saying experiences like that shaped her social consciousness and charity work.
