'I knew she was the one from the very first day': Beaming Prince Harry says he is 'thrilled' to announce engagement to Meghan Markle as she proudly shows off a sparkling ring made with Diana's diamonds and designed by HIM
- Announcement made a week after his grandmother the Queen celebrated her 70th wedding anniversary
- Poignantly Harry chose first photocall in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace - loved by late mother Diana
- Prince revealed he knew his bride-to-be was 'the one' from their very first meeting and said he was 'thrilled'
- Meghan held his hand and rubbed his arm during their first appearance and said: 'So very happy, thank you'
- Her Majesty has given her blessing and she and Prince Philip say they are 'delighted for the couple'
- Harry and Meghan got engaged in London earlier this month and to marry in Spring 2018, Prince Charles said
- Meghan could become a princess or be given title Duchess of Sussex when she marries fifth in line to throne
- Pair have not said where they'll wed but it could be Westminster Abbey, St Paul's Cathedral or Windsor Castle
- Harry, 33, and Meghan, 36, revealed they were an item a year ago after a four to six-month secret relationship
- They will live in Nottingham Cottage in Kensington Palace next door to William, Kate, George and Charlotte
- Meghan has quit the hit show Suits and is shipping all her belongings to Britain including her two dogs
Prince Harry said today he is 'thrilled' to be marrying Meghan Markle and admitted he knew the Suits star was 'the one' from 'the first day we met'.
Meghan, 36, also showed the world her engagement ring designed by Harry himself containing two diamonds from Princess Diana's own personal collection set in a gold band.
The couple will marry in church in spring 2018 after the prince proposed in early November after getting permission from the Queen and Meghan's parents.
Harry looked nervous but happy as they made their first public appearance since the announcement in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace, much loved by his late mother Princess Diana.
His fiancee stroked his arm lovingly as they spoke to reporters, who asked him: 'When did you know she was the one?' and he replied: 'From the very first time we met'.
He refused to say how he proposed saying: 'That will come later' but when asked if it was romantic he said: 'Of course it was' - but the couple didn't kiss for the cameras.
The prince said he was 'thrilled, over the moon' adding: 'Very glad it's not raining as well.' Meghan said she was 'so happy, thank you' before they wandered back into Kensington Palace beaming.
The couple will appear together on national TV in the UK for the first time this evening to discuss their engagement, how Harry proposed and their whirlwind relationship of 16 months.
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have appeared in public for the first time since announcing they will marry next year as the world glimpsed the American actress' engagement ring
The prince said he was 'thrilled, over the moon' adding: 'Very glad it's not raining as well' and both were full of smiles as they posed at Kensington Palace
Meghan's engagement ring's two outer diamonds are from Diana's own collection with a central diamond from Botswana - where they went on safari in September - all set within a gold band
Harry and Meghan looked over the moon and Harry said he was 'thrilled' and his fiancee said she was 'so happy'
Harry, 33, who revealed a year ago he had fallen for the actress after a four to six month secret relationship, proposed to Meghan, 36, in London earlier this month
Poignantly the royal chose their first photocall in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace, much loved by his late mother Diana
The prince said he was 'thrilled, over the moon' adding: 'Very glad it's not raining as well.' Meghan said she was 'so happy' before they wandered back into Kensington Palace beaming
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announce their engagement
They will marry next year as the world glimpsed the American actress' engagement ring, designed by Harry himself
The couple (pictured waving to crowds) will appear together on national TV in the UK for the first time this evening to discuss their engagement and whirlwind relationship of 16 months
As news of their engagement spread across the world today it emerged:
- Harry and Meghan have been engaged for almost a month but delayed announcement until today;
- Couple will marry in Spring 2018 - but will likely avoid early April when Kate and William's third child is due;
- Harry said he is 'over the moon' and knew she was 'the one' on the first day they met in 2016;
- Prince designed the engagement ring himself. The two outer diamonds belonged to his mother Princess Diana and central stone is from Botswana - where they holidayed in September
- PM rules out a bank holiday and Windsor Castle's chapel is favourite to host royal wedding;
- They will do their first TV interview together on BBC One at 6pm;
The happy couple made their first appearance in public since the announcement of their impending nuptials, posing for photographs in the Sunken Garden at around 2pm.
Harry and his brother William had white roses planted there in her memory when the 20th anniversary of her death fell in August.
Kensington Palace said the prince designed Ms Markle's engagement ring himself - using two stones which belong to his late mother.
Harry designed bride-to-be's ring using his mother Princess Diana's diamonds
Kensington Palace said the prince designed Ms Markle's engagement ring himself - using two stones which belong to his late mother Princess Diana.
The two outside stones are diamonds from the personal collection of Princess of Wales.
At the centre is a diamond from Botswana, a country that holds special significance for Harry who has visited many times since he was a child.
It is also a place the couple has spent time together over the last year and a half, Kensington Palace said.
The band is made of gold and the ring was made by Cleave and Company, Court Jewellers and Medallists to Her Majesty The Queen.
The two outside stones are diamonds from the personal collection of Diana, Princess of Wales.At the centre is a diamond from Botswana, a country that holds special significance for Harry who has visited many times since he was a child and they went on safari in September.
It is also a place the couple has spent time together over the last year and a half, Kensington Palace said.
The band is made of gold and the ring was made by Cleave and Company, Court Jewellers and Medallists to Her Majesty The Queen.
Harry, 33, who revealed a year ago he had fallen for the actress after a four to six month secret relationship, proposed to Meghan, 36, in London earlier this month.
Royal protocol dictated that fifth in line to the throne Harry had to ask his grandmother the Queen for permission to marry and she agreed in the month where she celebrated her own 70th wedding anniversary.
In a statement Her Majesty and Prince Philip said they are 'delighted for the couple and wish them every happiness' and this morning huge crowds of tourists and royal fans gathered outside Buckingham Palace.
Harry and his American fiancee, who divorced her first husband in 2013, will move into Nottingham Cottage in the grounds of Kensington Palace next door to his brother William and sister-in-law Kate.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge said in a joint statement: 'We are very excited for Harry and Meghan. It has been wonderful getting to know Meghan and to see how happy she and Harry are together'. The boys' father Prince Charles said he was 'thrilled' and 'very happy indeed' for them.
Harry also asked Meghan's parents Thomas Markle and Doria Ragland, who divorced when their daughter was six, for her hand in marriage before popping the question a few weeks ago, it emerged today.
They said: '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'.
Harry and Meghan have not said where they will marry but most senior royals marry at Westminster Abbey, St Paul's Cathedral or the chapel at Windsor Castle. Sources have said it is likely to be a church wedding, especially after the Archbishop of Canterbury gave his blessing today.
Meghan could become a princess or alternatively be given the title Duchess of Sussex when she marries the fifth in line to the throne and joins the royal family.
But they are likely to wait until Prince William and Kate have their third child, which is due in April.
Bookmakers refused to take any more bets on the couple getting engaged last week as Meghan landed in London and started moving her belongings and two dogs to the UK.
Social media went into meltdown but they have had to wait until today to hear that the fifth-in-line to the throne has proposed to his actress girlfriend.
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Harry and Meghan look delighted to be getting married as they walked along the top of the walled garden where they appeared together for the first time
Harry, wearing a blue suit and tie, said he was 'thrilled' as he expressed his love for Meghan, who he will marry next year
The garden was a favourite of his mother Diana's, who lived there until her death 20 years ago
Harry and Meghan will marry next year with Windsor Castle the favourite ahead of Westminster Abbey or St Paul's
Make like Meghan in a wrap coat by Line the Label
It's the good news we've all been waiting to hear. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are engaged!We're already big fans of Meghan's wardrobe, but now that the Suits actress will officially be joining the Royal family when the couple tie the knot, she's right up there with the Duchess of Cambridge on our list of people whose style we want to copy.
The pair posed for a photocall in the gardens of Kensington Palace after announcing that Harry has popped the question, and of course the bride-to-be looked beautiful. We can't wait to see what she'll wear to walk down the aisle, but this chic coat will keep us ticking over until next year!
Meghan made her debut as Harry's fiancée wearing a belted wrap coat by Line the Label in an appropriately bridal shade of white. When layered over a green dress by P.A.R.O.S.H. and teamed with nude heels by Aquazzura, it's a very regal look that we're all going to remember.
Her exact coat isn't available to buy, but click through to make sure this Canadian brand is on your radar. Or with Meghan in mind, wrap up in one of the lookalike coats we've got lined up for you in the edit below.
Harry grips his fiancee's hand as they walk over paving slabs in the London garden as she flicked hair out of her face
Harry and Meghan admired the ring the prince had designed as they spoke briefly to reporters
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Meghan would not let go of his hand and laughed and smiled when he spoke but said little herself
Meghan waved more enthusiastically than Harry but she only said two words during the 90 second photocall
At one point Harry joked that he was glad it wasn't raining and made his fiancee laugh out loud
The couple were introduced by friends in May 2016 and courted for several months until their romance emerged last November
The young couple beamed with joy as they made their announcement, with the world's press looking on
The bride-to-be looked stunning for the occasion in nude lace-up stilettos, an ivory winter coat and emerald dress. She wore her dark hair loose across her shoulders as she stood before members of the press
Meghan looked particularly excited as she waved to the crowds of well-wishers and staff who had come to watch
The couple will also take part in a broadcast interview to be aired this evening.
How 90-second press call of few words showed the world how in love Harry and Meghan really are
News of their engagement comes just one year after it was revealed, in November 2016, how the romance had blossomed
Their long-anticipated engagement was announced by the Prince of Wales on Monday morning - and the young couple couldn't hide their excitement.
Harry, dressed smartly in a blue suit and dark tie for the open air photocall, revealed of Ms Markle: 'When did I know she was the one? Very first time we met.'
Ms Markle said she was 'so very happy, thank you' to be engaged to Harry.
The prince added that he was 'thrilled, over the moon' saying: 'Very glad it's not raining as well.'
A beaming Ms Markle, in a white belted Line the Label coat and dress by P.A.R.O.S.H, clutched Harry's hand with both of her hands as they posed briefly, smiling and giggling throughout their appearance in the chill November air.
When Harry was asked how he proposed, Ms Markle replied 'Save that', with Harry adding: 'That will come later.'
The pair, who are giving a television interview to be broadcast on Monday evening, waved at the cameras as they walked away arm in arm.
A Kensington Palace spokesman tweeted today: 'The Prince of Wales has announced the engagement of Prince Harry and Ms Meghan Markle.
'Prince Harry and Ms Markle became engaged in London earlier this month. Prince Harry has informed The Queen and other close members of The Royal Family.
'Prince Harry has also sought and received the blessing of Ms Markle's parents. The couple will live in Nottingham Cottage at Kensington Palace.
'The wedding will take place in spring 2018. Further details will be announced in due course.'
They have chosen to state they are getting married just before they spend their first proper Christmas together and will probably head to Sandringham to spend it with the Queen and the royal family.
Miss Markle's parents Thomas Markle and Doria Ragland said: '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.
'We wish them a lifetime of happiness and are very excited for their future together.'
Prime Minister Theresa May said: 'I would like to offer my very warmest congratulations to HRH Prince Harry and Meghan Markle upon their engagement.
'This is a time of huge celebration for two people in love. On behalf of myself, the Government and the country, I wish them great happiness for the future.'
Her predecessor David Cameron said: 'Congratulations to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Wonderful news and I wish them a long and happy life together.'
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said: 'Huge congratulations to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle - fantastic news! Here's to a happy and long life together.'
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby added: 'I am absolutely delighted to hear the news that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are now engaged.
'I have met Prince Harry on a number of occasions and have always been struck by his commitment and passion for his charities, and his immense love for his family.
'Marriage is a special and joyous commitment, one that Jesus celebrated together with friends at the wedding in Cana.
'I am so happy that Prince Harry and Ms Markle have chosen to make their vows before God.
'I wish them many years of love, happiness and fulfilment and ask that God blesses them throughout their married life together.'
In a tender moment, Prince Harry put his arm around Meghan as they strolled through the Sunken Garden of Kensington Palace together
The 36-year-old American actress proudly showed off her dazzling three-stone ring, designed by Harry himself with at its centre a diamond from Botswana, which his office said was a place special to the couple, surrounded by two diamonds taken from the personal collection of his late mother Princess Diana
Harry looked very serious as he initially walked down the steps but warmed up and cracked jokes about the weather
Against the backdrop of the historic palace gardens, the pair stood on the steps and revealed their news to the world
As tradition dictates, dignitaries and close family members will be among guests likely to receive one of the sought-after wedding invitations alongside a glitzy mix of American and Canadian stars, British royals and celebrities
Prince Charles reveals his son Harry is going to marry Suits star Meghan Markle
The official announcement today
Prince Harry decision to marry his American actress girlfriend Meghan Markle was revealed by his father Prince Charles.
The much-anticipated news was confirmed by the Prince of Wales in a brief statement issued by Clarence House.
It read: 'His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales is delighted to announce the engagement of Prince Harry to Ms Meghan Markle.
'The wedding will take place in Spring 2018. Further details about the wedding day will be announced in due course.
'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.
'The couple will live in Nottingham Cottage at Kensington Palace.'
The actress and model did not attend the Queen and Prince Philip's 70th wedding anniversary celebrations together - but she has met Her Majesty for tea.
And royal protocol dictates that Harry will have had to ask his grandmother to let him marry.
The Suits star is set to move to London having quit the show and has already left her apartment in Toronto.
She is shipping her belongings to the UK including her beloved dogs - a beagle named Guy and a labrador-shepherd named Bogart.
Initially at least, the newly-engaged couple will move in together at Kensington Palace, where Prince William, Kate, Prince George and Princess Charlotte will be their neighbours.
The announcement marks an extraordinary 12 months since the couple said they were in love after a whirlwind romance where the prince quickly became 'besotted', royal sources said.
The 36-year-old actress, who is best known for her role as Rachel Zane in US legal drama Suits, is believed to have charmed the Royal when he visited Toronto in the summer of 2016.
They managed to keep their relationship secret from the world - but it later emerged she had met William and Kate and he had met her family in California.
Their cover was blown when keen observers spotted pictures of them wearing matching bracelets. The Prince followed the actress on Instagram using a pseudonym.
She also went to Wimbledon and Buckingham Palace this year coinciding with a period when Harry was in London but were never seen together.
As news of their love affair broke on Halloween last year, Harry was forced to abandon a secret trip to visit his actress girlfriend in Canada.
Meghan then flew to London two weeks later during a gap in her filming schedule and was photographed by MailOnline buying food on Kensington High Street, Princess Diana's favourite shopping street.
Days later, in an extraordinary statement on his love life, Harry said he is 'worried about Miss Markle's safety' since rumours of their relationship first surfaced nine days ago.
He lashed out at media intrusion and the 'sexism and racism of social media trolls' in a statement which said 'this is not a game - it is her life and his' and that he is 'deeply disappointed that he has not been able to protect her'.
Press wait for the newly-engaged couple in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace this afternoon
Media also gathered outside Kensington Palace today where the couple will also settle after they marry next year
So when DID Harry propose? How couple took tea with the Queen a month after being seen kissing in public
Prince Harry obtained the consent of both his grandmother the Queen and Meghan Markle's parents before asking her to marry him.
He took his future wife to meet the Queen for afternoon tea at Buckingham Palace last month to introduce her to the woman he wanted to wed.
Harry popped the question this month in London, and there have been several tell-tale signs in the past few weeks that a wedding could be in the cards...
Meghan did not attend the Queen and Prince Philip's 70th wedding anniversary celebrations this week with Harry, pictured with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, although she is understood to have met the Queen for tea last month
September 25: Harry brings his girlfriend to a tennis match at the Invictus Games in Toronto in their first official appearance together as a couple.
He affectionately kissed Miss Markle on the head and they put on a show of togetherness in full view of members of the public and photographers.
October 8: Miss Markle is revealed to have been spotted several times in London being driven around by a chauffeur in a black Volkswagen Golf.
The last time a woman linked to a prince was seen being driven in a flash car was when Kate was in an Audi A3 before her engagement to William in 2010.
October 12: Harry introduces Miss Markle to the Queen over tea at Buckingham Palace as he prepares to ask the actress to marry him.
The teatime meeting was informal to settle any nerves Miss Markle might have felt and to ensure it was not widely publicised within the palace.
November 16: Reports claim Miss Markle is putting arrangements in place to move her beloved dogs from her home in Toronto to London.
The actress has two rescue dogs, a beagle named Guy and a labrador-shepherd mix called Bogart, and said the pair 'mean the absolute world' to her.
November 17: Nicky Bursic, Miss Markle's body double on Suits, seemingly confirms widespread reports that she is to leave the US TV show.
She posted a message of good luck to the actress, saying: 'It's been an absolute pleasure and honour being your 'stand-in' for the last two seasons.'
Last Tuesday: Miss Markle is spotted in Chelsea, West London, after a beauty treatment at an exclusive clinic where the Beckhams are said to be regulars.
The actress was seen carrying a bag from the Sarah Chapman spa and was accompanied by the celebrity facialist herself as she left the beauty clinic.
Last Wednesday: Removal vans are said to have been outside Miss Markle's home in Toronto for the previous two days as she prepares to move out.
Last Thursday: Reports claim that the BBC is primed for an engagement announcement, and bookmakers suspend betting on another royal wedding.
Ladbrokes said they believed it was 'coming imminently' and many believed the announcement could have come as early as the next morning.
Today: Clarence House confirms that Harry and Miss Markle have become engaged and will be married next spring.
A statement said: 'His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales is delighted to announce the engagement of Prince Harry to Ms Meghan Markle.'
Harry has carried out a number of engagements over the past few weeks, including:
November 15: Harry visits the Terrence Higgins Trust charity's HIV self-test pop-up shop in Hackney, East London, to launch National HIV Testing Week
November 13: Harry attends the Mind Media Awards in London's West End, meeting the charity's president Stephen Fry and ambassador Fearne Cotton
November 12: Harry lays a wreath in the Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph along with other royals including his brother, Prince William
November 11: Harry, patron of England Rugby, attends the England v Argentina match at Twickenham Stadium in South West London
November 9: Harry lays a cross of remembrance at Westminster Abbey's Field of Remembrance. He jokes about bringing Miss Markle next year
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle KISS at Invictus Games closing ceremony
Miss Markle, who was born Rachel Meghan Markle, is pictured as a child with father Thomas
Her parents divorced when she was six. Each day after school, she used to visit the set of the TV show Married...with Children where her father worked.
She showed her royal potential as a teenager when she was crowned school homecoming queen. Photos show the Suits actress receiving the honour in a November 1998 ceremony.
Flanked by her court, the 17-year-old was seen walking a red carpet lined with boys holding swords at the lavish event at the private St Francis High School, in Los Angeles.
Miss Markle went to the private Catholic girls' school, which teamed up with boys school St Francis for proms.
Miss Markle (right) is pictured aged 11 with her father Thomas and nephew Tyler Dooley
In two photos from her yearbooks, Miss Markle is listed as Rachel Markle, as the actress was still using her first name at the time (Meghan is her middle name).
Miss Markle has written about her mixed heritage - Thomas Markle is Caucasian and of Dutch and Irish descent and her mother is African-American - and how it created 'a grey area surrounding my self-identification'.
But she added: 'I have come to embrace that. To say who I am, to share where I'm from, to voice my pride in being a strong, confident mixed-race woman.'
She also wrote about how her parents 'who came from little' taught her to care about others, and led by example during her childhood buying turkeys for homeless shelters at Thanksgiving and delivering meals to patients in hospice care.
As a child, she travelled to remote places with her mother and visited slums in Jamaica.
When she was 11, she persuaded a soap manufacturer to alter an advert after she wrote a letter to then first lady Hillary Clinton complaining that it implied women belonged in the kitchen.
Miss Markle graduated from Northwestern University in theatre and international relations.
While trying to pay bills while auditioning for acting roles, she became a freelance calligrapher, doing correspondence for Dolce & Gabbana and wedding invitations for clients such as singer Robin Thicke.
She also worked at the US Embassy in Argentina and was a 'briefcase girl' - one of the models who hold the suitcases full of cash - on the US version of Deal or No Deal.
Miss Markle first hit the screens in America when she featured in an episode of the medical drama General Hospital in 2002, before moving on to roles in CSI, 90210, Without A Trace, Castle, and as an FBI agent in the series Fringe.
She has already been married once before. In September 2011 she wed film producer Trevor Engelson after dating him for half a dozen years.
She met him in 2004 as they both scrabbled for a start in the entertainment industry, before becoming man and wife in a relaxed ceremony in Ocho Rios, Jamaica.
Miss Markle poses for a photo in her school uniform alongside her classmates
It was a gathering of more than 100 family and friends who partied for four days enjoying local beer, rum punches and human wheelbarrow races along the white-sand beach.
The newlyweds began married life in a comfortable gated house just above Sunset Strip in Los Angeles, but it was short-lived.
Shortly before the wedding, Miss Markle had secured her big career break in the TV drama Suits and was already commuting between LA and Toronto to meet filming schedules.
Mr Engelson remained in the marital home to be close to Hollywood. Within two years, it was clear the marriage was not going to survive their lengthy separations.
It is understood it was Miss Markle who ultimately decided the marriage was over. The couple separated in early 2013 and divorced in August, citing irreconcilable differences.
Mr Engelson kept the marital home while she moved permanently to Toronto. The couple divorced two years later.
She starred in three major Hollywood films: Get Him To The Greek, Remember Me and Horrible Bosses, before landing a major role as paralegal Rachel Zane in the legal series Suits in 2011, relocating her home to Toronto, Canada, where the show is filmed.
In 2014, the beauty, fashion and travel enthusiast founded her blog thetig.com to 'reframe the beauty content to include think pieces about self-empowerment'.
The royals enjoy a deeply traditional three day celebration from Christmas Eve to Boxing Day. Pictured: Members of the Middleton family arrive at church in Sandringham on Christmas day
'Kate was a bag of nerves the first time she did Christmas with the royals, so she knows exactly how daunting it must be for Meghan,'
If Meghan was to join the family at the Norfolk estate she would be welcomed into a Christmas steeped in tradition.
The royal family join the Queen and Prince Philip at their Sandringham residence from Christmas Eve to Boxing Day and everything from their arrival time to when they eat breakfast, walk the dogs, sit down to lunch and retire to bed is strictly timetabled. Even lunch on Christmas Day is pencilled in for just 50 minutes.
Over three days, the royals celebrate a deeply traditional Christmas with a personal touch including 'cheap and cheerful' gifts given on Christmas Eve and a liking for charades.
Prince Philip leads the family on the 330-yard walk to the 16th Century church of St Mary Magdalene on Christmas morning. The Queen, however, is driven. The service is always about 45 minutes, the Queen having received Communion privately in the morning.
The Royals enjoy bespoke Christmas crackers made by Dorset company Celebration Crackers. Everyone wears paper hats except the Queen. Party games are popular, as are cards.
For lunch on Christmas Eve, the men wear suits and the women wear smart silk dresses, but they change into black tie and glamorous gowns for dinner. It's the one time the women wear their most expensive jewellery and almost all wear tiaras.
On Christmas Day, they come down for breakfast dressed in their church outfits – usually a day dress or a smart suit with pearls for the women. For the traditional walk to church, the men don warm overcoats.
The matching bracelets that gave the royal couple's secret affair away after months of being in the same place at the same time
A blue, black and white bracelet worn by Harry gave away the relationship when Meghan Markle posted several images of her own matching one Instagram.
Before that moment only Harry's closest family and friends knew he had fallen in love with the LA-born star.
Miss Markle posted a picture of herself wearing the distinctive bracelet at a celebrity retreat in Oxfordshire in September last year - two months before it became official.
She then posted several more photos of it on her wrist on social media as Harry attended a series of royal engagements wearing the same one.
Harry reportedly picked them up during one of his trips to Africa - and he was also on the continent at the same as Meghan in their first few months as a couple.
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A blue, black and white bracelet worn by Harry gave away the relationship when Meghan Markle posted several images of her own on Instagram
It later emerged that Meghan had been spending long periods in London, again given away by her Instagram account.
Her posts revealed that they had probably been together since May and the actress had enjoyed near-monthly visits to London ever since then.
In May 2016, Harry was in the Canadian city to promote his Invictus Games for wounded servicemen and met the divorcee actress, who spends long periods filming hit TV show Suits there.
It seems she repaid the visit and according to her Instagram account she was in London in June, July, August, September and October that year.
After their Toronto meeting, Meghan was seen in the Royal Box at Wimbledon on June 28 - the same day Harry appeared on stage with Coldplay in west London.
Miss Markle posted several pictures of recent trips to London, including a view that appears to be of Kensington, where Harry lives, in July, and a picture of his grandmother's house, Buckingham Palace.
In August she was back in London sightseeing near Tower Bridge and in September she also posted a picture of herself at the luxury Soho Farmhouse in Oxfordshire with friend Millie Mackintosh.
In October she posed with a panda mask, reportedly in Harry's local Sainsbury's while her husband-to-be was in London.
By then she was wearing a distinctive beaded friendship bracelet with blue, white and black beads - Harry has been wearing an identical one since April this year - and this eventually gave them away.
2012: MOLLIE KING
Mollie and Harry first met at a polo match in 2010 and were pictured partying together at Public nightclub and karaoke bar Bunga Bunga in London.
The 24-year-old singer - who split from male model David Gandy earlier that year - and Harry were allegedly set up by his cousin Zara Phillips, who is a friend of the pop star's Saturdays bandmate Una Healy.
Mollie had previously remained very cryptic about the reports that she was in a relationship with the royal.
Mollie and Harry first met at a polo match in 2010 and were pictured partying together at nightclubs
2010: FLORENCE BRUDENELL-BRUCE
According to friends, Miss Brudenell-Bruce, who was Harry's first girlfriend following his split from Chelsy Davy in 2011, found the attention that came with dating a royal hard to deal with.
'Henry has been around a long time,' a source was quoted as saying at the time. 'Harry was more of an affair. Flee hated all the press attention she got when she was dating Harry.
'She really liked him but she was embarrassed by being splashed all over the papers.'
Chelsea Davy was also lined up to be Prince Harry's wife before they split in 2010
On and off with Harry for the best part of seven years, Zimbabwe-born Davy revealed that she 'couldn't cope' with the attention and eventually retreated back to Africa for calm.
In an interview with the Times, Davy revealed that being chased by photographers desperate to capture images of the couple together was terrifying.
Harry and Chelsea were on and off again for the best part of seven years
When the couple split in 2010, she says she retreated once again to her native Zimbabwe
She said: 'It was so full-on: crazy and scary and uncomfortable. I found it very difficult when it was bad. I couldn't cope.'
The former lawyer describes herself as 'just a normal kid' and says it was 'tough' to go through such chases at such a young age, saying: 'I was trying to be a normal kid and it was horrible.'
After first meeting while she was a teenager at Cheltenham and then getting together during Prince Harry's gap year in Cape Town, Davy returned to the UK to study in Leeds and be closer to the young royal.
Despite going on to establish a highly prized career at solicitor's firm Allen & Overy, Chelsy was branded 'a party girl' by the media for her love of socialising.
She concedes she did nothing to correct the image and admits to 'going out and partying a lot'.
When the couple split in 2010, she says she retreated once again to her native Zimbabwe unable to handle the break-up headlines. 'It was nuts,' she says. 'That's also why I wanted to go back to Africa. Now it's calm, it's fine.'
Chelsy, whose mother Beverley Donald is former Miss Rhodesia 1973, now divides her time between Zimbabwe, where her family is based, her jewellery mine in Zambia and west London - where she has a home in Chelsea.
She says she'll always 'be good friends' with Harry and indeed remained so much a part of the royal circle that she was invited to William and Kate's wedding in 2011.
She's happy to be back in the media spotlight once more though, this time launching her new venture, an ethical beauty range.
The African-based jewellery company, Aya, making pieces with gems mined in Zambia. Of the range, she has said: 'Aya is not a charity, it is a luxury brand of beautiful top quality stones and solid gold. But it won't neglect the communities from where they are sourced.'
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