Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are ENGAGED!

Prince Harry Meghan Markle

by Rebecca Cope |
Updated on

Congratulations are in order for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle who have confirmed their engagement

After months of speculation, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are engaged, according to an official statement from Kensington Palace and Clarence House.

On Twitter, Kensington Palace confirmed the exciting news by writing: "The Prince of Wales has announced the engagement of Prince Harry and Ms. Meghan Markle".

According to the statement, the couple got engaged in London earlier this month and will marry in the spring of 2018, with more details set to be released in due course.

Eek!

The happy couple have now stepped out and shown off Meghan's gorgeous ring. The Prince even admitted he knew she was the woman he would marry when he first met her. He said: "I knew she was the one from the very first day."

He added that he's over the moon about getting married: "[I'm] thrilled. Very glad it's not raining as well."

Check out all the stars who have changed their names since becoming famous...

Gallery

Celebrities who changed their name for fame SLIDER

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Blake Lively, a.k.a. Serena van der Woodson in Gossip Girl, completely reinvented her last name. She was born Blake Ellender Brown, but Lively suits her just perfectly.

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FKA Twigs was born Tahliah Debrett Barnett. She got the nickname 'twigs' when she was growing up because her bones used to click which sounded like twigs snapping. FKA stands for 'formerly known as'.

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Burlesque dance Dita Von Teese was born Heather Renée Sweet, which we think is actually pretty cool already.

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It was a shock when we found out that model of the moment Gigi Hadid's real name is Jelena Noura Hadid.

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Actress and now Instagram-favourite Helen Mirren's real name is Helen Lydia Mironoff. Her grandfather anglicised the family name to Mirren in the 1950s.

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Jude Law's real name is David Jude Heyworth Law but says he was often mistaken for a girl after he changed his name.

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Lana Del Rey was born Elizabeth Woolridge Grant. She said, 'I wanted a name I could shape the music towards. Lana Del Rey reminded us of the glamour of the seaside. It sounded gorgeous coming off the tip of the tongue.'

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Meg Ryan was born Margaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra which is a mouthful. When she began to gain success as an actress she changed her surname to Ryan - which was her grandmother's maiden name.

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Lead singer of Queen Freddie Mercury changed his name from Farrokh Bulsara.

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Heartthrob and husband to Mila Kunis Ashton Kutcher dropped his first name in pursuit of fame. He was born Christopher Ashton Kutcher, which doesn't sound as memorable.

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Child star Dakota Fanning was born Hannah Dakota Fanning but went by her middle name since she was little, and so did her sister Elle and her mother.

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Brad Pitt was born William Bradley Pitt. 'Will Pitt' would have been as punchy as Brad Pitt, but nowhere near as good.

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Actor Michael Caine was born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite. He adopted the stage name Michael Scott, but he was informed that there was already a Michael Scott in theatre and so he would need to change his name to make it as an actor.

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Jamie Foxx was born Eric Marlon Bishop. Apparently he wanted a gender neutral name as he hoped it would get him more work.

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Model Elle MacPherson's real name is Eleanor Nancy Gow, which doesn't have quite the same ring to it.

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RnB star Rihanna's real name is Robyn Rihanna Fenty. Her recent SS/17 collab with Puma was called Puma x Fenty.

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Sigourney Weaver was born Susan Alexandra Weaver. She changed her name in 1963 after the character "Sigourney Howard" in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby.

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Like her big sister Dakota, Elle Fanning went by her middle name 'Elle' since she was a little girl, but her real name is Mary.

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Actor Charlie Sheen's real name is Carlos Irwin Estévez.

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Pop singer Katy Perry's real name is Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson. She changed her name to avoid confusion with the actress Kate Hudson.

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Music artist The Weeknd's real name is Abel Makkonen Tesfaye. He apparently hated his name growing up so wanted to change it to something cool.

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Bruno Mars completely reinvented his identity through his name. He was born Peter Gene Hernandez but changed it to avoid being stereotyped as a Latin singer.

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Rap sensation Drake dropped his first and last name when looking for a musical persona; he was born Aubrey Drake Graham.

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John Legend was, unfortunately, not born with that name; his original name is John Roger Stephens. He said, 'John Legend is a nickname that some friends started calling me, and it kind of grew into my stage name. It grew to the point where more people in my circle would know me by that name than by my real name.'

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Music legend and icon Elton John's real name doesn't even contain John. He was in fact born Reginald Kenneth Dwight - can you get anymore British sounding?

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Aaron Paul is most famously known for playing Jesse Pinkman in the hit TV show Breaking Bad, but his real name is Aaron Paul Sturtevant. However, casting directors couldn't pronounce his last name so he dropped it.

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Olivia Wilde was born Olivia Jane Cockburn. She changed her surname while in high school, to honor the writers in her family, many of whom used pen names.

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Jennifer Aniston's real name is Jennifer Linn Anastassakis. It was her father who - also an actor - who changed his Greek surname to get more work.

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Actor Joaquin Phoenix was born Joaquín Rafael Bottom, but the whole family - including his late brother River Phoenix - changed their surname to Phoenix to symbolise a new beginning. Joaquin then decided to go by the name Leaf Phoenix as a child actor until the age of 15.

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Emma Stone was born Emily Jean Stone. When she registered for the Screen Actors Guild the name 'Emily Stone' was already taken so she opted for Emma.

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Miley Cyrus was born Destiny Hope Cyrus, but changed her name legally to Miley Ray Cyrus when she was 15. It came from the nickname her father, country singer Billy Ray Cyrus, gave her because she used to smile all the time.

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Nicki Minaj's real name is Onika Tanya Maraj. In her hit song 'Starships' one lyric says, 'My name is Onika, you can call me Nicki.'

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Alicia Keys was born Alicia Augello Cook. It was apparently her mum who helped think of her stage name.

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Natalie Portman was born Neta-Lee Hershlag. She chose to change her name to Portman, which was her grandmother's maiden name.

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Iggy Azalea's real name is Amethyst Amelia Kelly. She got inspiration for her stage name from her dog, called Iggy.

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Prince Harry's girlfriend was actually born Rachel Meghan Markle, but goes by her middle name. All is not lost though, as she plays character Rachel Zane in hit legal drama 'Suits'.

Meghan went on to admit that she's "so happy" about the news and when asked whether the proposal was romantic, she replied "Of course it was."

Aww.

The couple have been dating since meeting in Toronto in the summer of 2016, where Meghan filmed the American TV series Suits*. *The actress recently quit the series after six seasons, prompting widespread rumours that she was set to become the newest member of the royal family.

Harry has been fiercely protective of his wife-to-be, releasing an unprecedented statement defending her privacy after intrusion from the press when they first started dating last year.

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In the statement he said:"Prince Harry is worried about Ms. Markle’s safety and is deeply disappointed that he has not been able to protect her.

"It is not right that a few months into a relationship with him that Ms. Markle should be subjected to such a storm."

He added: "He knows commentators will say this is ‘the price she has to pay’ and that ‘this is all part of the game’. He strongly disagrees. This is not a game - it is her life and his."

Since then, the two have been spotted on numerous occasions visiting each other in London and Toronto, and went public with their relationship at Harry's Invictus Games earlier this summer.

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Prior to dating the 36-year-old actress, Harry has been linked to British actress Cressida Bonas and South African law student Chelsea Davy. Meghan has previously been married to TV producer Trevor Engleson, who is reportedly making a series based on similar circumstances.

But the important question is: will we get a bank holiday for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's nuptials?

It seems unlikely, sadly, as Harry as more likely to avoid a public celebration as sixth in line to throne after his new niece or nephew. Sigh.

WATCH: Prince Harry and Duchess Kate sweetest moments

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