For almost a year, the public has been following the relationship between Prince Harry and actress Meghan Markle. During that year, people have seen evidence of the two young people getting closer and closer. In fact, the pair are so close that many expect that an engagement will come soon.
The "Suits" actress has spent a lot of time with the prince even though they live thousands of miles apart.
Either she meets him in London or he meets her in Toronto where she films her show. At times, they have met each other at a designated place. For instance, last March they met in Jamaica to attend the wedding of Harry's friend.
Meghan is meeting Harry in England to attend the wedding of Pippa Middleton on May 20. She is taking a week off from her job to spend some time with Harry while she is there. Because they are not engaged yet, Meghan has been invited only to the reception in the evening instead of the actual wedding in the church during the day.
Latest development
One of the things that some thought would hold up the engagement was that Prince Harry needed the approval of Queen Elizabeth.
The latest news is that Harry asked his grandmother for her permission to marry Meghan, and the 91-year-old queen has granted it. This means that whenever the 32-year-old prince is ready, he can propose to the 35-year-old actress with the queen's blessing.
It is obvious that Meghan is getting her life ready for an engagement. She shut down her lifestyle blog, "The Tig" because royals aren't supposed to be present on social media. She stepped away from her fashion work as well. It has been leaked that this might be her last year on "Suits" when her contract is up at the end of this season.
First public appearance
Earlier this month, Meghan made her first public appearance as Harry's girlfriend.
She cheered him on at a polo match in Berkshire. For the first time, they were photographed kissing in public. Of course, that made headlines. Some are predicting that Prince Harry and Megan will be engaged by the end of the year. It might come sooner than that. Harry is probably waiting until after Pippa's wedding so that his news won't upstage hers.
The news that Harry has gotten his grandmother's permission to propose to Meghan comes just days after a spokesman for Westminster Abbey announced that if the prince did decide to marry the divorced actress, they would be allowed to get married in the same church that his brother Prince William married Kate Middleton, and his father Prince Charles married his mother, Princess Diana. The issue beforehand was over the fact that Markle is divorced.