Meghan Markle said 'yes' immediately to Prince Harry after he proposed on one knee while they were cooking a roast dinner during a 'cosy night' in. In their first joint interview this evening (pictured), Miss Markle, 36, said she did not even wait for the 33-year-old royal to finish the sentence before she said 'yes' - and it was 'so sweet and natural and very romantic'. The couple, who had been in Nottingham Cottage at Kensington Palace in London when the proposal happened, revealed that they first met when they were set up by a female friend - and have tried to see each other every two weeks. Harry added: 'I fell in love with Meghan so incredibly quickly... All the stars were aligned - everything was just perfect. It was this beautiful woman just sort of literally tripped and fell into my life - I fell into her life.'
'I knew she was the one from the very first day': Beaming Prince Harry says he is 'thrilled' to announce engagement to Meghan Markle as she proudly shows off a sparkling ring made with Diana's diamonds and designed by HIM
Prince Harry said today he is 'thrilled' to be marrying Suits star Meghan Markle, who showed the world her engagement ring designed by the royal himself containing two diamonds from Princess Diana's own personal collection set in a gold band. The central stone is from Botswana, where they went on safari in September, and the prince proposed earlier this month after asking the Queen's permission. Poignantly the royal chose their first photocall (pictured) in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace in London, much loved by his late mother Diana. Harry and his brother William had white roses planted there in her memory when the 20th anniversary of her death fell in August. The royal looked nervous but happy and his fiancée stroked his arm lovingly as they spoke to reporters, who asked him: 'When did you know she was the one?' and he replied: 'From the very first time we met'. Poignantly the royal chose their first photocall in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace, much loved by his late mother Princess Diana.
The Markle sparkle! How Harry designed 2.5ct ring with stone from Botswana and two from Diana's collection
The Suits actress, 36, showcased the stunning ring designed by Prince Harry himself with one stone from Botswana, where he and Meghan recently holidayed, and two diamonds from Diana's personal collection. The ring was made by Cleave and Company, Court Jewellers and Medallists to Her Majesty The Queen.
PIERS MORGAN: Hearty congratulations, Harry, you picked a real keeper (even if your romance did destroy my beautiful friendship with the amazing Meghan Markle)
Oh thank the Lord! Prince Harry, long time enfant terrible of the Royal Family, has finally made a sensible decision when it comes to his personal life. Yes, His Royal ‘Naked Billiards’ Highness is at last settling down and getting married. I was delighted when I heard the big news today, not least because his bride-to-be Meghan Markle is a friend of mine. Or rather, she was until she met him.
Ex-Labour deputy council leader, 59, filmed pushing a wheelbarrow around an allotment after claiming he could walk 'zero metres for zero minutes' without his stick avoids jail
An ex-Labour council leader who was secretly filmed building a shed on his allotment while claiming he could walk 'zero metres for zero minutes' has been spared prison. A judge told Robert Woodbridge that his position as an ex-councillor meant he was 'not your average benefit fraudster' and that he had betrayed the people he once represented. The 59-year-old, of Kent, received disability living allowance after he stated his pain from inflammatory arthritis was so extreme he needed care seven days a week, could not venture out alone, and even struggled to use a TV remote control. But with the help of surveillance work by the Department of Work and Pensions, a jury took just 20 minutes to see through his lies. Imposing a suspended jail term of four months for a year, Judge David Griffith-Jones QC said his dishonesty was 'quite brazen'.
- 'This beautiful woman tripped and fell into my life': Lovestruck Harry reveals how he went down on one knee and surprised Meghan by proposing as they cooked roast chicken in his cottage - and how she said 'yes' straight away
- 'I knew she was the one from the very first day': Beaming Prince Harry says he is 'thrilled' to announce engagement to Meghan Markle as she proudly shows off a sparkling ring made with Diana's diamonds and designed by HIM
- The Markle sparkle! How Harry designed 2.5ct ring with stone from Botswana and two from Diana's collection - and reveals he used yellow gold because it's her 'favourite'
- PIERS MORGAN: Hearty congratulations, Harry, you picked a real keeper (even if your romance did destroy my beautiful friendship with the amazing Meghan Markle)
- 'Our daughter has always been a kind and loving person. To see her with Harry, who shares the same qualities, is a source of great joy': Meghan's parents lead congratulations to the newly engaged couple
- A love nest fit for a Princess! Harry and Meghan will live in Nottingham Cottage - just a stone's throw away from Kate and Wills in the grounds of Kensington Palace
- 'It's wonderful to see how happy they are together': Kate and Wills congratulate Meghan and Harry
- The ones that got away! As Prince Harry pops the question to Meghan Markle, the pop stars, society girls and lingerie models who missed out
- So who's invited to the wedding? Meghan Markle's American family includes her roguish half-brother, estranged half-sister, an uncle who runs his own church - and another uncle who is younger than her
- Ex-Labour deputy council leader, 59, filmed pushing a wheelbarrow around an allotment after claiming he could walk 'zero metres for zero minutes' without his stick avoids jail
- Customer, 26, is left furious after forking out £45 for a disastrous Marilyn Monroe cake for her sister-in-law which looked NOTHING like the actress
- Two Royal Marine corporals 'ran Deal or No Deal-style forfeit game involving "Django" punishment where colleagues were hung upside and whipped for failing to clear up coffee stains'
- Woman launches first UK damages claim against Harvey Weinstein alleging she was sexually assaulted by the Hollywood producer 'many years ago'
- 'I knew she was the one from the very first day': Beaming Prince Harry says he is 'thrilled' to announce engagement to Meghan Markle as she proudly shows off a sparkling ring made with Diana's diamonds and designed by HIM
- Susan Sarandon is glad 'dangerous' Hillary didn't win because 'we would be at war' and says everyone in Hollywood aware of Weinstein's abuse 'perpetuated it too'
- 'What’s the f***ing point?' John McCain tells Hillary Clinton to move on from her stinging loss to Trump as he lectures that 'the hardest thing to do is to just shut up'
- Banking heir, 52, spends $3m turning his 275-acre New York backyard into personal Formula One racetrack where he and his girlfriend, 23, race incredible cars and bikes from $5m collection
- Indiana nurse sparks fury after tweeting that 'white women raise terrorist, rapist, racist, killer sons' and says 'every one should be sacrificed to the wolves'
- A love nest fit for a Princess! Harry and Meghan will live in Nottingham Cottage - just a stone's throw away from Kate and Wills in the grounds of Kensington Palace
- Shocking details emerge in mysterious death of American boy, 16, who was 'raped and murdered by friends' in Paraguay after drinking mushroom tea on luxury estate as parents cry 'cover-up'
- 'Our daughter has always been a kind and loving person. To see her with Harry, who shares the same qualities, is a source of great joy': Meghan's parents lead congratulations to the newly engaged couple
- So who's invited to the wedding? Meghan Markle's American family includes her roguish half-brother, estranged half-sister, an uncle who runs his own church - and another uncle who is younger than her
- Miss South Africa who was held at gunpoint by carjackers after being crowned beauty queen wins Miss Universe as host Steve Harvey redeems himself for naming the wrong winner two years ago
- Profile of a princess: How Catholic schoolgirl Meghan Markle survived her LA parents' divorce (and a stint as a Deal or No Deal briefcase girl) to become a major TV star and charity ambassador fit for a prince
- Reindeer bloodbath! Horror as 106 of the beasts are run down and killed by trains in just four days in northern Norway
- PIERS MORGAN: Hearty congratulations, Harry, you picked a real keeper (even if your romance did destroy my beautiful friendship with the amazing Meghan Markle)
- MOST READ IN DETAIL
Brave sales assistant, 21, who was raped by a 16-YEAR-OLD burglar slams the UK justice system as she speaks publically while his name stays secret - despite him being jailed for five years
A 21-year-old woman who woke up to find a 16-year-old burglar raping her with a metal wire around her neck has slammed the justice system after he was allowed to keep his identity secret. Sales assistant Becky Chaplin was raped by a boy who broke into her first floor flat who choked her with a metal wire. He was sentenced to five-and-a-half years in jail in September at Newcastle Crown Court (inset) but a judge ruled that, due to his age, he could not be identified. Waiving her right to anonymity Miss Chaplin said: 'I don't think he should be sentenced as a child for a man's crime.'
How thieves can steal your car without even taking your key: Mercedes is taken from owner's driveway in just ONE minute using 'relay boxes' to connect with key INSIDE the house and unlock the car
Police have today released what is believed to be the first footage in the UK of a high-tech 'relay' car theft where a gang stole an expensive new car in a minute without needing its keys. The two hooded criminals were able to override the Mercedes' security system in the Elmdon area of Solihull, Birmingham at 9pm on September 25 and the luxury vehicle has never been recovered. The footage shows two men pull up outside the victim's house. One can be seen waving a relay box in front of property, which searches for a signal from the key inside the house and transmits it to the second box next to the car. CCTV footage shows the men waiting briefly for the relay boxes to connect before the Mercedes' lights flash and the doors are opened. The thieves then drive off with the whole crime only taking one minute to complete. The thefts are becoming so widespread that drivers have been advised to take precautions such as storing keys in a safe because metal repels relay signals and also consider using a traditional steering wheel lock.
Husband, 57, who battered his former deputy head teacher wife, 60, to death with a DUMBBELL in a row over a broken Amazon tablet is jailed for life
A husband who battered his former deputy head teacher wife to death with a dumbbell after they rowed over a broken tablet computer was today jailed for life. Jane Sherratt, pictured left, died in hospital 17 weeks after she was attacked at her home in Spondon, Derby. She had suffered serious head injuries in the ‘frenzied and focussed’ assault. The 60-year-old’s husband, Paul Sherratt, 57, (right) survived the incident on May 16 this year with self-inflicted knife wounds. He was arrested after being discharged from hospital and later charged with murder Sherratt admitted murder at an earlier hearing and was jailed for life when he re-appeared at Nottingham Crown Court this afternoon. A post-mortem examination revealed Mrs Sherratt had been hit at least 14 times with the dumbbell.
Sky Sports presenter Simon Thomas posts heartbreaking family snap saying 'Three have become two' after his wife Gemma, 40, died of leukaemia just three days after being diagnosed
The Sky Sports anchor, from Berkshire, uploaded a picture of him and his wife holding hands with their son, Ethan, as they watched the sunset (left). Mr Thomas wrote: 'Team Thomas. Three has become two. Heartbroken and suffocating with grief.' Yesterday he said he was 'crushed with indescribable pain' following the death of his 40-year-old wife in hospital. Acute myeloid leukaemia is a type of blood cancer that affects the bone marrow.
The helicopter was like an angel: Malaria-stricken explorer relives being saved from the jungle - as his wife reveals her anger, admits they have had 'cross words' and insists this is his LAST mission
Benedict Allen, 57, went missing while trekking to a remote part of Papua New Guinea to film the Yaifo tribe, he fell dangerously ill with malaria and was eventually airlifted from the jungle by the Daily Mail. He’d been on the brink of setting off, alone, through jungle riddled with warring tribes in a bid to reach the nearest town. A decision his wife Lenka sums up as 'suicidal'. He said: 'That walk would have taken me five days,’ he says. ‘If I’d headed off by myself and been as ill as I was that night, I’d have veered off the path or laid down in the forest with fever. I certainly wouldn’t be here now. I’m so grateful to Sam [the Mail’s chief reporter Sam Greenhill, who hired the helicopter that airlifted him to safety] and to you, Linky.’
Her Royal keepsakes: Intimate scrapbook by Queen Victoria’s governess ‘dearest daisy’ containing locks of hair and wedding dress fabric heads to auction for £26,000
An intimate scrapbook kept by Queen Victoria's governess including locks of the monarch's hair and her wedding dress fabric is to be auctioned for £26,000. Baroness Louise Lehzen - who the young princess referred to as 'dearest daisy' and 'mother' in private - collected the keepsakes during 21 years working for the Royal family. She rose through the ranks to become Victoria's adviser and confidante before eventually being dismissed by the queen's husband Prince Albert amid simmering tensions as he feared she was becoming too influential within the Palace. Her red leather-bound notebook is now for sale offering a spectacular and revealing insight into the life of a young princess. It is engraved with Victoria's gold 'VR' insignia and contains lockets of her hair as well as photographs from the private family album.
Sports Direct manager, 33, caught in Lidl car park by vigilantes trying to meet a 13-year-old girl he thought he'd been grooming online is jailed for more than two years
Daniel Pickering (right), 33, from Manchester, was trapped after he engaged in sexually explicit conversations with someone he thought was a 13-year-old girl. He was actually talking to an investigator from the action group, Keeping Kids Safe, who detained him under a 'citizen's arrest' at a Lidl car park after he agreed to meet the girl 'Amber Ryder' (inset). Police were called and he was pinned to the ground by officers, handcuffed and put in the back of their van (left). Pickering admitted he had been chatting to the teenager and said he had been going through drug-fuelled 'rocky patch' with his girlfriend while working 14 hour days as a manager with the sports equipment retail chain.
Magnificent logistics...that kept our men in their flying machines: 'Behind-the-scenes' photos reveal how RAF operations on the ground were vital in WWII and the Cold War
These incredible photos reveal how RAF operations on the ground were vital during World War Two and the Cold War. Fascinating images reveal how various transport was used during the two wars, including an aircraft bomb storage during the 1930s in India and fuel drums being loaded on the beach in Sicily in 1943 (top left). Other pictures illustrate show RNAS personnel in Paris with a partially crated aircraft on a transport lorry in 1915 (bottom right), part of the aero engine assembly line at a factory in 1937 (top right) and a group of RAF equipment officers (inset).
THE WORLD AT A GLANCE
The race to flee Mount Agung: Bali orders mass evacuation and raises volcanic eruption alert to its highest level as up to 60,000 travellers are trapped after airport is closed by huge ash cloud
Mount Agung (main) in Bali has been hurling clouds of white and dark grey ash nearly 10,000ft into the atmosphere since the weekend and lava is welling up in the crater. Its explosions can be heard about 7.5 miles away while the National Disaster Mitigation Agency raised the volcano's alert to the highest level early today warning a larger eruption is possible. Bali's airport was closed early today after ash, which can pose a deadly threat to aircraft, reached its airspace. Some 445 flights were cancelled, stranding about 59,000 travellers (top right).
Army chief tells the Pope 'there is no religious discrimination' in Myanmar, days after US accused the country of ethnic cleansing of Rohingya minority
Pope Francis met for talks with Min Aung Hlaing after arriving in Myanmar on Monday amid the ongoing Rohingya refugee crisis. Afterwards, the military chief's office wrote on Facebook: 'Myanmar has no religious discrimination at all. Likewise our military too... (it) performs for the peace and stability of the country.' The Tatmadaw, as his army is known, has been accused by the UN and US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson of conducting a campaign of 'ethnic cleansing' by driving 620,000 Rohingya from western Myanmar into Bangladesh since August.
Terrifying moment jet plane lurches to one side as it's battered by howling crosswinds while landing at Cologne Airport
Dramatic footage shows the Luftwaffe-marked Airbus A310 being battered by howling gales as it came in to land at Cologne airport in Germany. As one set of wheels touches the runway, the plane's wings tilt to the side (main) with its left engine nearly coming into contact with the tarmac. Fighting the gust, the pilot manages to maintain control of the aircraft with both sets of wheels finally touching down (inset).
Mobster acquitted of masterminding the infamous 1978 Lufthansa heist is facing 15 years in prison after ordering John Gotti's grandson to firebomb the car of man who cut him off
Vincent Asaro, 83, (left) ordered John J Gotti, 24, (right) to carry out the arson attack against a man in who had reportedly cut him off while driving in Howard Beach, Queens, in 2012. Asaro is a third-generation member of the secretive Bonanno crime family, and famously beat a charge that he took part in the legendary 1978 Lufthansa heist retold in the hit film 'Goodfellas'. Now, Brooklyn prosecutors want him sentenced to 15 years in jail for ordering the 2012 hit, Gotti is already in prison serving an eight-year sentence for dealing drugs He is the grandson of mobster John 'Teflon Don' Gotti, (inset) who died in prison in 2002