Prince Harry and American actress Meghan Markle posed during an official photocall to announce their engagement at The Sunken Gardens at Kensington Palace on Monday, November 27 in London, England. Harry’s father, Prince Charles, announced the engagement in a statement early Monday.

Prince Harry & Meghan Markle photocall

Harry, 33, and Meghan, 36, have been a couple officially since November 2016 and are due to marry in Spring 2018. They will reside in his cottage on the grounds of Kensington Palace in London.

Prince Harry & Meghan Markle photocall

Ms. Markle’s parents Mr. Thomas Markle and Doria Ragland wished the couple “a lifetime of happiness.”

“We are incredibly happy for Meghan and Harry,” they said in a statement released by Kensington Palace. “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 Meghan engagement

Harry and Meghan’s engagement comes after the actress opened up about her relationship with the prince in an interview with Vanity Fair magazine earlier this year, in which she described their romance as a traditional “love story”.

According to Us Weekly magazine, Harry used diamonds from a brooch previously owned by his late mother, Princess Diana, to craft an entirely unique engagement ring for his new fiancée.

Meghan Markle ring detail

Harry, whose given name is Henry, is fifth in line to the British throne. Those ahead of him include his father, Prince Charles, his brother William, and his nephew Prince George, 4, and niece Princess Charlotte, 2.

Harry will be pushed back further to sixth in line after Prince William’s wife, Kate, gives birth to their third child next spring.

Photos by Chris Jackson/Chris Jackson/Getty Images, WENN.com