The Prince of Wales has announced Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s engagement. While we wait for a first glimpse them as a bethrothed couple, here’s a look back at other royal engagements.
The Queen’s engagement to Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten was delayed until her 21st birthday in 1947.
Princess Elizabeth and Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten announcing their engagement at Buckingham Palace in 1947 (PA Archive)
Princess Anne and Mark Phillips met at the Munich Olympics in 1972. Their engagement was announced the following year.
Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips posed in the gardens of Buckingham Palace in 1973 (PA Archive)
Prince William and Catherine Middleton posed for official pictures at St James’s Palace. The future duchess wore the prince’s late mother’s ring.
An official portrait by Mario Testino of Prince William and Catherine Middleton was released to mark their engagement in 2010. (Mario Testino/PA Archive)
Prince Andrew proposed to Sarah Ferguson on 19 February 1986, his 26th birthday. Her Burma ruby and diamond ring from Garrard was designed by Andrew.
Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson at Buckingham Palace in 1986 (PA Archive)
Princess Anne’s daughter Zara Phillips and England rugby player Mike Tindall eschewed Buckingham Palace for an informal shot outside the home they shared in Gloucestershire.
Zara Phillips and her fiance Mike Tindall at their Gloucestershire home, after they announced their engagement (Tim Ireland/PA Archive)
The Queen’s youngest son Prince Edward met Sophie Rhys-Jones at a tennis event and they became engaged in 1999. The ring from Asprey and Garrard was a two-carat oval diamond flanked by two heart-shaped gemstones.
Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones were pictured 1999 in the garden of St James’s Palace (Toby Melville/PA Archive)
Princess Margaret’s announcement of her engagement to photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones, on 26 February 1960, took the world by surprise after keeping their romance under wraps.