At 2pm GMT, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle met with the press in the Sunken Garden of Kensington Palace for their engagement photo call! The choice of location was appropriate as Meghan displayed a sparkling ring designed by Prince Harry that features two stones from Diana's personal collection, and one stone from Botswana, according to royal reporter Emily Andrews.
The couple walked together to the garden and circled the reflecting pool before taking their position. If you missed the live-stream, this is a clip Emily Andrews shared of our first glimpse of Harry and Meghan!
The couple kept it quite short. Harry is very personable with the public, but he is a little dodgy with the press. Hopefully Meghan, who is very relaxed, can help him warm up a bit.
Emily Andrews shared this snap shortly before the couple made their appearance:
Tonight at 6pm GMT, all networks will air Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's engagement interview.
Harry said he knew #meghanmarkle was the one “the very first moment I met her” 💍💍💍 pic.twitter.com/WpqdhuPvjU— Emily Andrews (@byEmilyAndrews) November 27, 2017
This year, the Sunken Garden was transformed by white blooms to honor Princess Diana. Just three months ago, the Sunken Garden was the scene of Kate's last appearance before she announced her third pregnancy, so it has now been the stage of joy both for Prince William and now Prince Harry.
Kate's blue Issa dress became an instantly iconic ensemble when she wore it to her own engagement photo call in November of 2010. Seven years later, Meghan must have felt the pressure to pick the right dress! Given the chilly London weather today, though, Meghan wrapped up in a soft white coat from The Line, with a green dress peeking out underneath that is reportedly from P.A.R.O.S.H. If she wears the same dress for the interview, we will get a good look tonight!
The couple kept it quite short. Harry is very personable with the public, but he is a little dodgy with the press. Hopefully Meghan, who is very relaxed, can help him warm up a bit.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle make their first appearance together since announcing their engagement pic.twitter.com/xw9PWKSH65— Sky News (@SkyNews) November 27, 2017
And this is the view that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry had (with more press by the time they made their entrance!) standing in their final position.
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This is so exciting! They both looked so happy and Meghan is absolutely stunning.
ReplyDeleteThe ring is simple and stunning. I love how tactile they are with each other. Makes me think Harry is very happy to have that back in his life.
ReplyDeleteWell, she seems genuinely nice and they seem genuinely happy.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I have reservations about this all being a bit rushed because of her age. They've only ever been in a long-distance relationship, she'll be living across the ocean from her family & friends, and when they add a baby into the mix (probably very soon), things will get even harder. Marital satisfaction plummets the first year after the first child is born. Parenting is stressful!
Hoping this lasts for both their sakes.
I am sure that they have thought all those things through. I must be weird....because when a happy thing like this happens, I focus on the good stuff. I don't worry about the future or whether a 36 year old who has lived away from home for years is going to miss her family. When you get married you start a new family. 36 is older, but it is hardly ancient. Catherine Cambridge is 35 and doing fine with pregnancy.
DeleteI don't know them personally obviously, but they seem to be the kind of couple who would want to spend the first few years strenthening their marriage rather than having children right away. I could also imagine her continuing to work as an actress. Maybe I'm totally wrong but since their relationship has been somewhat unconvetional (for the BRF) so far, I'd say anything is possible!
DeleteParenting is never stressful. Babies are a blessing and an honour.
DeleteBabies are a blessing and an honour and becoming a parent means you will be stressed for the rest of your life! Happily stressed of course, and the best way to strengthen a marriage but stressful all the same.
DeleteSome people seem to take to parenting easily while others struggle. According to psychologists, although it is a joyous event, the stress level of becoming a parent can be equal to the experience of moving and even death or divorce. It changes one's life and the couple's relationship completely. Also, we can't forget that many parents experience depression after birth. For me, I love being a mom but if I'm honest, it was a huge adjustment and I had some rather unhappy times in the process.
DeleteBrb, still dying laughing over "parenting is never stressful"...you must be far enough removed from the baby and toddler days to have forgotten what it's like to take care of tiny little people who just fuss and scream all day! Honestly, I'm still laughing. Go read, "All Joy and No Fun". It nails what parenting is like. Everybody struggles, people just only post the highlights on Fb and Instagram. I prefer "Scary Mommy", where people are honest about the struggle. Even Kate said she had a hard time, and she has her family nearby AND a nanny!!!
DeleteNever said she was ancient, Kirsten - it can just be harder to get pregnant and you're more likely to encounter problems (both with your health and the baby's) if you're older.
I guess I've been a parent long enough that when I hear of couples I like starting a family (as they probably will soon), I'm thrilled for them but also a little sad. Because I've experienced first-hand how hard parenthood is, how it affects a marriage, and all the times when my spouse has been 6 inches away but it felt like lightyears because you can't even have a conversation with little kids running around, getting into things, and then yelling at the top of their lungs when you try to talk to your husband because they want the attention instead! You end up missing your best friend, a lot more than you ever thought you would. There are pros and cons to everything.
I just hope they wait a bit to have children, so they have more time with just each other!
omg parenting is the most stressful thing in the world. Much easier with a nanny - please Santa.
DeleteSo happy! They look happy! 2017 hasn’t been the worst after all. Will we be able to watch the engagement interview in the states?
ReplyDeleteYes! Here's a link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOacA3RYrXk
DeletePretty ring.
ReplyDeleteI wish them joy and success. I think a baby is due sooner than later.
Am, I agree with you - I believe Harry was recently used as an example of "the broody bloke" in some magazine story, and that her age likely is a big factor in their decision to get on with life as a married couple. Although being in an unofficial relationship with an HRH is probably something you'd want to get over quickly, either way, probably very stressful.
ReplyDeleteAlso: am I the only one who thinks she looks pregnant? The way she keeps rubbing his hand makes it hard to tell, but that could be an incitement to keep the engagement short, as well.
I don’t think she looks pregnant; I think she happens to have kind of a wide torso and very slim legs (like, seriously slim). I’ve wondered about this topic sort of generally, though - royal girlfriends probably get a Talk from someone about birth control, wouldn’t you think? That’s got to be one of the huge, important rules about dating a prince: whatever you do, DON’T GET PREGNANT! LOL
DeleteI really hope she isn't because thats just going to be too controversial on top of everything else. She is short waisted, so hoping it is just that plus the cut of the coat and, maybe, the design of the dress underneath.
DeleteI had the same though!! She looks pregnant with that coat
DeleteI think she's just a little curvy, and her stomach curves out and forward a bit while her rear sticks out behind.
DeleteI think it's just an unflattering coat and her arm placement is making her look wider from the side.
But who knows.
It would be an embarrassment a wedding with the bride pregnant... What a shame for the Queen!!
DeleteI don't think she is pregnant and I do think you are all just trying to start rumors to find imaginary infractions you can "punish" Meghan for (the queens shame!).
DeleteMaybe she will give birth to that now on her dress that is likely affecting how the coat lays.
DeleteIMO this kind of coat is not flattering for her body type. She needs a stylist:)
DeleteI'm not sure who can wear a wrap coat with a belt like that and not look a bit bulky in the middle.
DeleteI think some people are obsessed with pregnancy here...
DeleteShe probably looks better than most people in that coat. Probably better than all of you who are calling her pregnant
DeleteOf course she isn't pregnant. Good Lord
Delete8:53 I feel insulted:)! I say it who shouldn't but I would look better in that coat, no matter how the rest of the readers may look! I am tall and have so to say no hips, thus do not look pregnant wearing that kind of cut. I prefer not looking pregnant when I am not, you know.
DeleteSo Happy for Them! We're going to have a fun 2018 royal watching! Getting ready to put in for a vacation day to watch the wedding!!!
ReplyDeleteEven with all the media hype of last week, I was surprised to see this today. I thought for sure an announcement would come mid week if there was to be one. So I don't know about anyone else but they surprised me!
ReplyDeleteThey look happy and she looks so pretty. I was surprised with the conservative ring but it is gorgeous and I love the story behind it.
I hope they are very happy together. The whole thing is proceeding very quickly but I'm sure that's due to her age. She will have a very steep learning curve ahead of her. Very excited to hear about the details. Surprised that it will be a spring wedding with Kate being due then as well.
I was a little surprised too Faith but then I remembered we don't know Kate's due date just that it *reportedly* falls during the month of April per the KP announcement. I'm guessing H&M may know a bit more than that. If baby #3 is due in early April, then a wedding in mid-May would be fine and that's still spring. Or if due in late April, a mid-late March wedding would be fine too & still a time that can be called spring (although Lent could make that time iffy with Easter falling on April 1.) I can understand H&M not wanting to wait too long. And early June is problematic because of the Trooping. Much of July impossible because of Wimbledon (heaven forbid anything interfere with that ;) & in late July the royals usually flee. Families hold weddings and welcome babies close together all the time so I think H&M's timing will be fine.
DeleteHmm, not sure the Queen would be a fan of a wedding during Lent.
DeleteYes, I think a March wedding would be a no go because of Lent too, Lizzie. So hoping for an early April baby and a mid May wedding. Im sure they have it all worked out and it will be just fine. I was concerned that one might take away from the other but I probably don't have to worry about that.
DeleteRegarding pregnancy and weight remarks above:if you look at photos of Meghan taken two years ago or more it is obvious that she was very slender and far from wide-hipped. She actually did not look that short-waisted. If you are a Suits watcher it is easy to see a gradual thickening of her waist and broadening in the hip area over the last 6-8 episodes. That, plus wardrobe differences =fewer pencil skirts and more maxi-skirts, looser tops. If you recall those earlier towel and undie scenes, there was very little excess padding and her waist was quite small.In the latest episodes, a great deal of the filming was done with her sitting down, holding a large object in front of her or standing behind a desk etc. I credit her weight gain to happiness and gourmet cooking for Harry. Plus, after age 35 one can't always continue earlier patterns of eating and drinking. Metabolism changes, hormonal changes.
DeleteLots of explanations. She still looks beautiful, especially with such happiness just bursting from her...and smiling eyes. She is glowing! anon1
I have been a Suites watcher for years. Meghan's figure hasn't changed a bit. The little extra weight she has is at her tummy, in the belly button area. Because everything else on her is beyond slim, this makes her look a little thick at the waist.
DeleteShe has an amazing shape. This is just how she's shaped.
Such a gorgeous, happy couple. May the uniqueness of the ring portend the unique style and contributions they will bring as a couple to the royal family. As a Yank myself, I'm thrilled that there will be an American in the BRF, further strengthening our countries' bond.
ReplyDeleteHow exciting for Harry and Meghan!! What a wonderful way to meet the press in the Sunken Garden at KP which has so much significance for him and his family due to the connection with his mother. Meghan's ring is stunning and the story of the sourcing of the diamonds is very touching as well. It's a thoughtful,lovely gesture on Harry's part to use a combination of diamonds with meaning - one from Africa (the big one in the centre!)and two from his late mother. Harry finally has a helpmate and someone to share his life with, and some to love him and support him in his duties and public life. It's very nice to see after so many years of growing up in the public eye and dealing with the tragic loss of his mother. Harry and Meghan deserve every happiness and no doubt many across the globe are pleased to see Harry finally find a true partner. It's hard to forget the very sad image of that 12 year old boy walking behind his mother's cortege twenty years ago. He's now found happiness and contentment with a woman who will care for him and be there for him in a way he perhaps has not had in many years. Can't wait for the wedding!! It's a vacation day and very early wake up again for those of us tuning in from North America. I remember the day Harry was born (seeing the announcement written and flashed on the old-fashioned news channel in 1984) and met him once when he visited Niagara Falls in 1991 with his mother and brother. He deserves every happiness; together will can bring positive change to the world and a good news story :)
ReplyDeleteWild about Harry and Meghan. Congratulations to them. Can't wait for the wedding.
ReplyDeleteLoved the white coat!
ReplyDeleteA civil wedding may have already happened and parenthood soon to happen in March or April.
ReplyDeletePrincess Tessy was married after birth of first child so not unprecedented.
And he had to abandon her royal rights, as far as I know...
DeleteHarry and Meghan are both rebels in their way.
DeleteNo so much when they are announcing their marriage and not running away...
DeleteI'm afraid H&M aren't quite as wildly untraditional as some people feared (hoped?). Confirmation into the C of E, church wedding in royal church, all seems pretty standard to me.
DeleteI love them! They are so cute together. I can't wait for the wedding. Jane, will you be covering them and their events or mostly just as it relates to Kate?
ReplyDeleteHi Zoe, I will cover the engagement, a you see, and any pre-wedding excitement, and the wedding, but after that, no, I don't plan to cover Meghan all that much unless she is with Kate.
DeleteI did my engagement photos in a wrap coat (a light brown though), and was struck later by how pregnant I looked in them! I laughed it off, it's just what a wrap coat does. I wasn't pregnant - and still am not, happily!
ReplyDeleteI adore her and her sense of style. I can't wait to see where they end up living and how they choose to conduct their lives. I am a young American professional who previously worked with World Vision (and continue to support an 'adopted' child through them) and I think I'll see more of my own values and style reflected in Meghan than I do in Kate. So excited for them! Finally, a piece of happy, good news for the world!
I think a wedding in Diana's Garden would be lovely. It is obviously very special for Harry. I think as long as a member of the clergy performs it, it would still be "before God." I think that memorial garden is about as close to consecrated ground as one can unofficially get. Diana is obviously foremost in Harry's mind now. It would certainly be an unconventional royal wedding. Then perhaps a champagne reception at KP immediately after to include those friends and officials not attending the small ceremony. And an evening reception at BP for family and close friends, and maybe a few foreign royals who are really family and the Mayor, etc.? What fun to be speculating about such a happy event!
ReplyDeleteI think privacy could be arranged by foliage, trees. Kate had trees So did Pippa. Why simulate an outdoor wedding when you can have the real thing? One possible obstacle-security with HM and others there. Might be more secure than a parade or motorcade through London to WA. I just don't think an Abbey wedding. Mostly because it doesn't seem like something Harry would prefer. Of course, the Bride may think otherwise. The guest list for such an intimate ceremony would be a PR nightmare. Just immediate family and the closest friends. I can't picture Harry wanting a bunch of Sheiks and assorted politicians and third cousins sharing in the moment.
Of course, I've been wrong about weddings before. HAHAHA!
Royalfan, would you like me to pay off that bet in Merlot?
She's Catholic..
DeleteYou can't have an outdoor wedding in the UK. A church wedding has to be in a church and a civil wedding has to be in 'approved premises', which must be a fixed structure.
DeleteCongratulations! Very happy for Harry and Meghan. Wishing them years of happiness and peace. They are a lovely couple. Harry finally gets his happy ending.
ReplyDeleteThe interview was lovely. They are very adorable together!😍
ReplyDeleteI want to like her. I worry.
ReplyDeleteYou are not alone, she is not my faviourite either
DeleteWhy? Honest question.
DeleteFlashy, slightly pushy, divorced, somewhat advanced-in-age American female who has an air of leading a royal personage around by the nose. I think the British populace has reviewed this story already.
DeleteI do feel sorry for all involved.
Some of those adjectives also apply to Diana which makes me wonder if he was drawn to Meghan because she reminds him of his mum.
DeleteWallis Simpson is the royal is was thinking about--though that's probably unkind. I've seen reporters on twitter today nastily calling Meghan a "pro" and then I get protective thinking about all the flack she'll get. Richard Palmer noted her popularity rating is 19 (versus Williams high 70's) and referred to the "Markle debacle" before the announcement frenzy.
DeleteI agree with Am 9:08. I too have reservations regarding that their relationship as its been only primarily long-distant. This does have a huge aspect to it. She has made such a huge change. I am sure, given time, it will work out.
ReplyDeleteIm sadly disappointed with her ring. The traditional "I Love You" ring is underwhelming. I like where the stones have come from and that in that itself is significant to them, but its very ho hum in looks to me.
Guess I'll have to wait for a CC version of the interview. I watched the initial BBC interview but could not understand Harry well at all and only parts of what Meghan said. She was so starry-eyed I don't think words were really necessary. Harry looked a little wary at times. Ha!
ReplyDeleteI think the choice of journalist was both wise and interesting. However, she may be the BBC royal reporter. I seem to recall she has credibility and respect in her field.
TWO things stood out for me, other than how gushingly happy Meghan was--she referred to their relationship as the "last eighteen months," again a conflict with part of her VF interview and the info put out of a July, 2016, first meeting/date.
And Harry's saying he had never seen Suits nor heard of her before meeting. (despite a royal reporter's "insider" info that stated he said he became interested in her through watching Suits and that Rachel of Suits was his ideal woman. I doubted that whole cozy luncheon with Harry story right off) I wonder if an explanation might be an introduction in May, followed by Harry's binge-watching of Suits, with a first private date in July; the May one perhaps at a party with Meghan an unknown interesting-looking girl across the room as was explained earlier. And Meghan said she knew very little about Harry before she met him. As an actress in a series filmed in a Commonwealth country with likely Canadian cast mates---really? With the commonalities in their humanitarian work?
That's about all I understood and that's mostly because of explanatory tag lines that appeared...which makes it obvious that the airing was never live and was recorded and edited, as Jane said. Harry's gazes at Meghan seemed to include a watchfulness, especially when she made more than one sentence remarks. I wonder if there was editing to fit a certain scenario. She looked at him each time either just before or after she spoke, and sometimes while she spoke, as though for validation or approval. She looked at the interviewer in between. Meghan had a big grin on her face the entire time while Harry only intermittently smiled. He did not act like he wanted to be there and seemed jumpy at times. I think something may have made him somewhat guarded about the interview. I thought the earlier photo-op was much more spontaneous, however short.
I commented on the interview here because I could not access the comments on the newest post.
Unofficial "sources" have been quoted as saying this will be a church wedding and cite Welby's comments as proof. What I read was he was happy they had chosen to be married with God involved...(can't remember the exact words) No specific mention of "church" and certainly no mention of WA. Which still makes my wishes possible. :+)
I'm probably wrong about the garden wedding, but a girl can dream.
I appreciate anyone's taking the time to read my thoughts. My email security has taken a hit and I was left with no one to discuss it with. No one else in my family knows or cares about all this.
I have taken the hint....Cold in England at a garden in spring, a hothouse??....ha!!
ReplyDeleteAlmudena
The Orangery? anon1
DeleteYou're right. March is COLD in England.
I can't understand them either...
ReplyDeleteVega
Ha! Now I feel better, Vega.
DeleteJane, you did a wonderful job pulling all this together and law school. Really appreciate all your work on it. I loved everything about it.
ReplyDeleteI second that. Hope you have some time off coming up from work/school., Jane. Kate and William's calendar, along with Christmas,mean busy days for the blog, though.
DeleteAren't her shoes a bit big?
ReplyDeleteI read about the too big shoes during the BAFTA this past year. If they don't want to wear stockings they get shoes a half size larger so as not to get blisters. Can't remember which actress they were talking about.
DeleteI read something similar a couple of years ago and how wearing 1/2 size larger avoids toe pinches and blisters. Well, I bought a pair of black suede court pumps and fell twice in them because they were too large. I had to stuff them with paper towels in the ladies room just so I could walk reasonably normal. Nothing worse than a pair of pointy pumps a size too large. I ended up having my shoe cobbler sew in a few stoppers to make up for the size difference. I'd almost prefer a blister than falling!!
DeleteI read it too.
DeleteBut they look odd. IMHO they don't look good and aren't the best choice for a almost-raining day
Did it seem to anyone else that they managed to discredit a number of the stories written as exclusives? I think just about every royal reporter had at least one dud. But people keep reading and believing everything written. I think what happens is people remember it when a story turns out true but seem to forget all the times they turned out to be rumor or just plain fiction.
ReplyDeleteAll of this talk of Meghan talking too much makes me recall a study in College where participants observed male and female actors in conversation. The participants watched, then took a survey. Almost all of them perceived the female to be talking too much/dominating the conversation, even though the female script actually contained fewer words.
ReplyDeleteThat appears to be the case here as well. I pulled the entire script of the Harry/Meghan interview into Excel to separate their text, then into Word to do a word count:
Meghan spoke up 54 times, using a total of 1725 words
Harry spoke up 51 times using a total of 1724 words
Interesting...
Belle
This is so very interesting! Thank you for posting it!
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