Mishall RehmanHis Royal Highness Prince Harry is officially off the market. The Royal Family announced on Monday that Prince Harry of Wales, fifth in line to the throne, proposed to his American girlfriend, Meghan Markle, earlier this month.
The pair were engaged secretly in London, according to a statement from Clarence House, and the wedding will take place next spring. The couple will live in Nottingham Cottage at Kensington Palace.
Markle’s engagement ring was designed by Prince Harry and features two diamonds which belonged to his mother, Princess Diana, according to Kensington Palace.
It’s been a whirlwind fairytale romance between Prince Harry and Markle that has captured the imagination of the entire world for the last year. The two began dating in July 2016 after meeting through mutual friends.
However, it hasn’t all been an easy road, with the prince needing to step in at times to address the intense media scrutiny, particularly because of the racial undertones in reporting. Markle’s mother is black, and father is white.
The couple made an appearance for reporters today and when asked when the Prince knew Markle was “the one,” he said’ “The very first time we met.”
The world has had a long-time fascination with the Royal Family, especially here at home where the Queen, Prince Harry’s grandmother, still holds a ceremonial role. She is represented amongst the Canadian Armed Forces with the Governor General, who is the Commander-in-Chief. Please see below for a full list of honorary positions theRoyal Family holds in the Canadian Armed Forces.
Prince Harry himself is known to be a staunch supporter of the military and is responsible for the Invictus Games. He founded the games in 2014 to give wounded, injured or sick armed service personnel from around the world an opportunity to regain their confidence on their road to recovery.
Prince Harry and Markle made their first official public appearance at the 2017 Toronto Invictus Games this past September.
The Prince is also known for his mental health advocacy after admitting that he struggled and needed to get help after his mother’s death in 1997. Together with his brother Prince William and Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry has started the Heads Together, a campaign to end the stigma around mental illness.
The Queen also serves as the Colonel-in-Chief, Captain General and Air Commodore-in-Chief of the following CAF units:
•Royal Canadian Air Force
•Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada
•The Calgary Highlanders
•Canadian Military Engineers
•The Canadian Grenadier Guards
•Governor General’s Foot Guards
•Governor General’s Horse Guards
•The King’s Own Calgary Regiment
•Le Régiment de la Chaudière
•The Royal New Brunswick Regiment
•The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery
•Royal 22e Régiment
•48th Highlanders of Canada
The Queen’s husband The Duke of Edinburgh Prince Phillip holds many honorary military positions as he is Colonel-in-Chief of the following units:
•The Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa
•The Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada
•The Royal Canadian Army Cadets
•The Royal Canadian Regiment
•The Royal Hamilton Light Infantry (Wentworth Regiment)
•The Seaforth Highlanders of Canada
Currently, The Prince of Wales, along with his sister Princess Anne, serve as the Commodores-in-Chief of the Royal Canadian Navy. This is the first time in history that members of the Royal Family have been appointed as Commodores-in-Chief of the RCN.
His Royal Highness, Prince Charles, has also held a number of honorary roles within the CAF.
Prince Charles also was appointed to Colonel-in-Chief of:
•The Air Reserve of Canada;
•Lord Strathcona’s Horse (“Royal Canadians”);
•The Royal Winnipeg Rifles;
•The Royal Regiment of Canada;
•The Royal Canadian Dragoons;
•The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada; and
•The Toronto Scottish Regiment (Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother’s Own)
Princess Anne also serves as the Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Canadian Medical Service.
