The world was stunned Monday morning by the news of Prince Harry and Meaghan Markle's engagement. The young couple have been dating for nearly two years and their relationship has been the epitome of a modern fairy-tale.
Meghan is an American actress who had previously been married, and is known not just for her role on the hit TV series Suits, but also for her charity work with World Vision. Prince Harry has spent 10 years in the British army, and has performed many diplomatic duties across the world on behalf of the royal family.
The couple met in Toronto, Canada and kept their introduction hidden from the media while they began to develop feelings for one another. Their secret love made it all the more romantic when the rest of the world discovered it six months after it began in 2016.
It was only two months ago in September that the young bride-to-be finally met her future mother-in-law. The meeting must have been nerve-wracking for Meghan, especially since it appears this is when Prince Harry asked for his Queen's (and more importantly, his grandmother's) permission to marry the love of his life.
Now that the upcoming nuptials have been announced, let's take a look back at some of the other exciting engagements between our favorite royal couples of the past!
Prince William and Kate Middleton
The two closest in line to the throne of England also had a beautiful start to their story. They met at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland as students, and dated periodically for many years before the time came for the big question.
Prince William also made sure to ask his grandmother's permission as well as his wife's father, who both gave it gladly. To make the proposal even more intimate, the prince gave his betrothed the brilliant blue sapphire ring that belonged to his mother, the late Princess Diana.
The summer wedding of 2011 was broadcast all over the world to audiences eager to welcome Kate into Buckingham Palace. More royals were welcomed there over the years, as the two newly-weds have begun building their family with a beautiful boy and girl, with a third on the way!
Let's take a look back at the engagements of the past...
Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson
The third child of Queen Elizabeth got to know his one-time wife Sarah Ferguson throughout his childhood where they would chat and play sports such as polo together. It was at a party held at Windsor Castle that their adult relationship began however, and the dashing prince made sure her ruby ring matched her glowing red hair.
The two of them were the new and exciting match of the media world and her quirky personality and his military posture made for some wonderful headline images. Unfortunately, due to the pressures of their separate lives, the couple eventually broke off the marriage.
Prince Charles and Diana Spencer
Perhaps the most famous romance and ultimate tragedy of the 20th century was the marriage of Prince Charles and Lady Di, and her eventual untimely death.
Prince Charles was originally dating Diana's older sister, but the two of them quickly fell in love together. They met only 13 times before deciding to wed with Diana at the young age of 19.
They spent 14 years together before troubles at home became too much to bear, and the couple next in line for the throne divorced. This was followed by a terrible car accident that robbed the world of Diana. Her two sons William and Harry would definitely have made her proud!
Of course, the most important union happened much earlier than these...
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip
Their tale of romance and courtship would definitely turn heads should it have happened in our modern times, but it led to a long and happy marriage between two of the strongest and compassionate leaders of the empire.
The pair met when Elizabeth was only 13-years-old, when Phillip was attending the Royal Naval College in Dartmouth, England. He acted as an escort to Elizabeth and her sister, Margaret. The two of them became immediately smitten, and began exchanging letters quite often.
It appeared that the two of them were well on their way to matrimony, as King George approached Phillip to let him know that there would be no marriage until his daughter's 21st birthday, because of the complicated diplomatic circumstances between the two royal families.
However, there would be no stopping the young man with love in his heart. The year after, Phillip relinquished his titles of Danish and Greek royalty in order to become a naturalized British citizen. The couple announced their engagement July 10th, 1947 and they wed later that year, with Elizabeth famously collecting ration cards in order to save for her wedding dress.
The two of them have shared 70 years of marriage together, and recently celebrated their platinum anniversary.
