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Prince Harry Is Engaged to Meghan Markle Prince Harry Is Engaged to Meghan Markle
(about 5 hours later)
LONDON — Prince Harry, a grandson of Queen Elizabeth II who is fifth in line to the throne, is engaged to Meghan Markle, his American girlfriend, the royal family said on Monday. LONDON — He is a flame-haired former wild child, who courted controversy in his youth by smoking cannabis and by once wearing a Nazi uniform to a party. She is a biracial, divorced actress from abroad. Together, they are taking the British monarchy — that most conservative of institutions — into a more modern era.
The prince, 33, got engaged this month to Ms. Markle, 36, a statement from Clarence House said, adding that the wedding would be next spring. Prince Harry, a grandson of Queen Elizabeth II and fifth in line to the throne, is engaged to Meghan Markle, his American girlfriend, the royal family said on Monday.
The relationship of Prince Harry and Ms. Markle, an actress, has been the subject of intense media scrutiny, which last year prompted the prince to denounce the “racial undertones” of news coverage of Ms. Markle, whose mother is black and whose father is white. The prince, 33, and Ms. Markle, 36, will marry in the spring, a statement from Clarence House added.
The pair have dated for more than a year, and made their first official outing together in September in Toronto at the Invictus Games, a Paralympic-style competition for wounded or sick members of the military. Prince Harry and Ms. Markle’s engagement underscores recent shifts in the British monarchy. They are part of a new generation of royals eager to project themselves as modern, inclusive and down-to-earth. This latest set of royals, who include the duke and duchess of Cambridge — Prince Harry’s elder brother, William, and his sister-in-law, Catherine — have in recent years tried to connect better with the public.
The prince’s reputation has changed markedly in recent years. It is a marked difference, for example, from the queen, who has maintained a more traditionally aloof style.
He has gotten into trouble in the past, once wearing a Nazi costume at a party, but he has since become a vocal advocate for mental health awareness and has spoken about the difficulties he faced after the death of his mother, Princess Diana. He has also taken an H.I.V. test, broadcast live on the royals’ Facebook page in 2016, to promote the importance of testing for the virus. Prince Harry and Ms. Markle are expected to be known as the duke and duchess of Sussex after they are married, according to the British news media, although she may be known informally as Princess Meghan. If Prince Harry were to decline the dukedom, he would remain Prince Henry of Wales — his official name.
He has also come to be the face of a new generation of royals — modern, down-to-earth and more in touch with the public. This year, he even suggested that no one in the royal family actually wants to sit on the throne. The pair have dated for more than a year, and made their first official outing together in September in Toronto at the Invictus Games, a Paralympic-style competition for wounded or sick members of the military and veterans.
“We are involved in modernizing the British monarchy. We are not doing this for ourselves but for the greater good of the people,” he said in an interview with Newsweek. Like his brother, Prince Harry grew up in the public eye, first as a son of the heir to the throne, and then as an adolescent struggling over the loss of his mother, Princess Diana, who died in a car accident when he was 12. His grief played out in what he described as “total chaos” in his 20s, a period that was gleefully pounced on by the tabloids.
“Is there any one of the royal family who wants to be king or queen? I don’t think so, but we will carry out our duties at the right time.” The relationship of Prince Harry and Ms. Markle also has been the subject of intense scrutiny.
In another unusual break from palace protocol but one that drew praise, he divulged to a newspaper that he had suffered for years after the death of his mother in 1997, before finally getting help about three years ago at the urging of his elder brother, Prince William. The announcement of their engagement ended days of fevered speculation by the British news media, some of which, in anticipation of the event, tried to find any royal connection with Ms. Markle. (The Daily Telegraph breathlessly reported an unverified study showing that Ms. Markle’s ancestor was in fact an aristocrat who was beheaded by Henry VIII, an ancestor of Prince Harry.)
The candid statement by the Prince Harry, in a podcast released by The Daily Telegraph, was the latest indication of a shift within the British monarchy toward greater openness, led by a younger generation. The two princes, along with Prince William’s wife, Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, are leading a campaign called Heads Together to end stigma around mental illness. But other stories about Ms. Markle’s ethnicity and background — her mother is a black yoga instructor and her father is a white cinematographer — have drawn the ire of the royal family. The prince himself issued an unusual statement last year, denouncing the “racial undertones” of news coverage of Ms. Markle.
Prince Harry said that not dealing with the trauma had contributed to years of “total chaos” in his late 20s. Prince Harry’s reputation has changed markedly in recent years. In his younger days, he acknowledged wanting to be a “bad boy,” but he has emerged as possibly Britain’s most popular royal.
“I can safely say that losing my mum at the age of 12, and therefore shutting down all of my emotions for the last 20 years, has had a quite serious effect on not only my personal life but my work as well,” he said. As a rebellious youth, he partied heavily, including an episode in 2005, when he wore a Nazi costume with a swastika armband, just weeks before his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, was scheduled to lead Holocaust memorial ceremonies.
He added: “I have probably been very close to a complete breakdown on numerous occasions when all sorts of grief and sort of lies and misconceptions and everything are coming to you from every angle.” In 2009, a video emerged of him using racial slurs during his first tour of duty in Afghanistan. In the footage, he is seen referring to a Pakistani member of his platoon as a “our little Paki friend” and calls another soldier a “raghead.” He later apologized.
It was his public statement in defense of Ms. Markle that effectively confirmed their relationship, while also taking on the British newspapers that have long hungered for news of the royals and their foibles. But he has matured since those early years, say his defenders, becoming a vocal advocate for mental health awareness and for other charities. He has also spoken openly about the difficulties he faced after the death of Princess Diana.
In the unusually blunt rebuke, Prince Harry, through his spokesman, called out “the smear on the front page of a national newspaper; the racial undertones of comment pieces; and the outright sexism and racism of social media trolls and web article comments.” In another unusual break from palace protocol, he divulged to a newspaper that he had suffered for years from grief after the death of his mother, before finally getting help about three years ago at the urging of Prince William.
Their relationship is not the first time a British royal has fallen in love with an American. In 2016, he took an H.I.V. test and broadcast it live on the royals’ Facebook page in 2016 to promote the importance being tested for the virus that causes AIDS.
King Edward VIII caused a constitutional crisis in 1936 when he abandoned the throne for the American socialite Wallis Simpson, who had herself been divorced. This year, he suggested that no one in the royal family really wanted to sit on the throne. “We are involved in modernizing the British monarchy. We are not doing this for ourselves but for the greater good of the people,” he said in an interview with Newsweek.
The Church of England opposed the marriage at the time, but the king chose love over his royal duties and abdicated, allowing his younger brother to take his place as King George VI. Edward and Ms. Simpson were married in 1937. Prince Harry’s public statement last year in defense of Ms. Markle effectively confirmed their relationship, and it also took aim at the British newspapers that have long hungered for news of the royals and their foibles.
Prince Harry served on active duty in the British military for about a decade, rising to the rank of captain. During that time, he served two tours in Afghanistan, where he co-piloted an Apache helicopter and was a weapons officer. In the blunt rebuke, Prince Harry, through his spokesman, excoriated “the smear on the front page of a national newspaper; the racial undertones of comment pieces; and the outright sexism and racism of social media trolls and web article comments.”
Their relationship is not the first in which a British royal has fallen in love with an American partner who had been married before.
King Edward VIII caused a constitutional crisis in 1936 when he abdicated to marry the American socialite Wallis Simpson, who was divorced. The Church of England at the time opposed the marriage, and the king chose love over his royal duties, with his brother taking his place to become King George VI.
Harry’s parents, Prince Charles and Princess Diana, divorced in 1996.
Prince Harry served on active duty in the British military for about a decade, rising to the rank of captain. He served two tours in Afghanistan, where he co-piloted an Apache helicopter and was a weapons officer.
The announcement of the engagement was quickly followed by messages of congratulations from the queen and her husband, Prince Philip, who recently celebrated 70 years of marriage. The couple said they were “delighted” and wished Prince Harry and Ms. Markle “every happiness.”The announcement of the engagement was quickly followed by messages of congratulations from the queen and her husband, Prince Philip, who recently celebrated 70 years of marriage. The couple said they were “delighted” and wished Prince Harry and Ms. Markle “every happiness.”
Prince Harry’s father, Prince Charles, said that he and his wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall were “thrilled” by the engagement. “We hope they’ll be very happy indeed,” he said. Prince Charles, Harry’s father, said he was “thrilled,” while Prime Minister Theresa May said in a statement that the engagement marked “a time of huge celebration and excitement.”
Prime Minister Theresa May said in a statement: “This is a time of huge celebration and excitement for two people in love and, on behalf of myself, the government and the country, I wish them great happiness for the future.” Prince William and Catherine, who is known as Kate, said they were “very excited for Harry and Meghan.” The date of Prince Harry and Ms. Markle’s wedding may take place close to another royal event, the birth of William and Kate’s third child, due in April.
William and Catherine the Duchess of Cambridge said in a separate statement that they were “very excited for Harry and Meghan.” Kate’s wedding to Prince William was also unusual in the context of the royal family because she was a commoner: Her parents had founded a mail-order party supply company.
“It has been wonderful getting to know Meghan and see how happy she and Harry are together,” they said. William and Catherine, the former Kate Middleton, were married in April 2011. The date of Prince Harry and Ms. Markle’s wedding may be close to another major royal event: the birth of William and Kate’s third child, due in April. Ms. Markle’s parents, Doria Ragland and Thomas Markle, said they were “incredibly happy” for their daughter and her prince.
Kate’s wedding to Prince William was unusual in the context of the royal family, because she was a commoner — her parents had founded a mail-order party supply company.
Ms. Markle describes herself as biracial. She graduated from Northwestern University in Illinois in 2003, and married in 2011, divorcing two years later.Ms. Markle describes herself as biracial. She graduated from Northwestern University in Illinois in 2003, and married in 2011, divorcing two years later.
She is best known for her roles in the television legal drama “Suits” as well as the science-fiction series “Fringe,” and appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair in September. Ms. Markle is also notable for her charitable work — she is a global ambassador for World Vision Canada, and has worked for gender equality and women’s empowerment. She is best known for her roles in the television legal drama “Suits” and in the science-fiction series “Fringe,” and she appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair in September. Ms. Markle is also notable for her charitable work — she is a global ambassador for World Vision Canada — and she has worked for gender equality and women’s empowerment.
Her parents — Doria Ragland, a yoga instructor and social worker; and Thomas Markle, a cinematographer — said they were “incredibly happy” for the couple. She also shares a love of dogs with the queen, who is known for having a collection of corgis. British tabloids reported this month that Ms. Markle was preparing to move her two dogs, Bogart, a Labrador-shepherd mix, and Guy, a beagle, to London.
“Our daughter has always been a kind and loving person,” they said in a statement. “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.”