Prince Harry Announces Engagement to Actress Meghan Markle

Meghan Markle in 2013 – Image Credit: Genevieve (CC by 2.0)

On Monday, the British Royal Family announced at Clarence House that Prince Harry is engaged to American actress Meghan Markle.   Markle is best known for her role as Rachel Zane in the USA Network legal drama Suits. She has also been involved in humanitarian aid through international charities such as One Young World and World Vision. Prince Harry and Markle first appeared together in public at the 2017 Invictus Games in Toronto in September, but originally met in London in the summer of 2016. Markle was previously married to actor and producer Trevor Engelson, whom she divorced in 2013. Her nationality  and prior relationship history has caused comparisons to Wallis Simpson, the American socialite whose marriage to Edward VIII in 1937 resulted in the monarch’s abdication. Today, the Royal Family is much more welcoming: Queen Elizabeth II has approved the marriage under British law and has sent a statement of congratulations from Buckingham Palace. Markle will also be the first person of biracial heritage to join the clan. The royal wedding is being planned for this coming spring.