If we needed further proof that an engagement is imminent for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, then this is surely it: according to a source close to the Prince, Harry has now introduced his girlfriend of one year to his grandmother Queen Elizabeth, marking yet another major milestone for the couple.
According to a new report in Us Weekly, the couple visited the Queen at her summer residence in Balmoral while staying with Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall at Birkhall, Aberdeenshire. The two-day trip followed Harry and Meghan’s three-week getaway to Botswana and Zambia; a holiday which sparked yet more engagement rumours due to Harry’s older brother William having previously proposed to Kate Middleton, now the Duchess of Cambridge, on safari in Kenya.
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‘Harry decided to take Meghan to visit as he hadn’t been up yet all summer. He wanted to introduce Meghan to the queen,’ a source told the magazine. And while meeting the extended family is always a nerve-wracking step in any relationship, we can imagine that the ante is upped somewhat when your potential grandmother-in-law is the Queen.
The source went on to add that the trip ‘went well,’ and will ‘no doubt be the first of many encounters. The entire weekend was a success. He [Harry] was able to introduce someone he loves to someone he cares for deeply.’
Earlier this summer, Grazia revealed that Harry presented his girlfriend with a special gift during their summer vacation: a Zulu commitment bracelet representing betrothal. ‘Harry had their matching bracelets commissioned by the same person who made the blue, white and black bands that the couple already wear,’ a source explained. ‘His mother, Diana, had many tribal bracelets and taught Harry about the meaning behind them, which is where he got the idea from.’
Should the couple wish to get engaged, Harry will have to seek permission from his grandmother first. The Royal Marriages Act of 1772 requires that all direct descendants of George III (the King at the time) must gain the approval of the reigning monarch before marrying. Though the rule has since been relaxed, it now only applies to the first six in line to the throne – Harry is still fifth in line, though the arrival of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s third child will move him own to sixth. With this first meeting deemed a success, it appears that the Prince has little to worry about on that score…
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