London:
Prince William has finally became engaged to long-time girlfriend Kate Middleton, giving her his late mother's engagement ring and Britain the prospect of its biggest royal wedding since Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer almost 30 years ago.
Royal officials announced on Tuesday (16th November 2010) that William will marry Middleton next spring or summer in London, ending years of rumoured splits, reconciliations and will-they, won't-they speculation.
The college romance that seemed to wilt under the pressure of adulthood and the glare of the paparazzi has blossomed at last.
"This was my way of making sure that my mother didn't miss out on today,"
William said as the couple posed for photographers inside St. James's Palace.
William proposed during a holiday in Kenya last month and gave Kate the oval blue sapphire surrounded by diamonds, from the jeweller Garrard, that his mother, Princess Diana, once wore.
William is second in line to the British throne after Charles, his father.
Kate and William's first child would move ahead of his younger brother Prince Harry to become third in line to the throne.
Kate acknowledged that being queen was "a daunting prospect" and declined to say whether the prince had gone down on one knee when he proposed.
Many in Britain welcomed the royal engagement as a rare piece of good news in a time of economic uncertainty and cutbacks - a time much like 1981, when millions watched Charles and Diana's fairy-tale wedding.
Their marriage eventually ended in divorce - but no one was dwelling on that detail on Tuesday.
William's grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, and her husband Prince Philip "are absolutely delighted for them both," Buckingham Palace said.
Prince Charles said he was "obviously thrilled," and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, said her stepson's engagement was "the most brilliant news."
Middleton's parents, Carole and Michael, also welcomed the prince to their family.
"We all think he's wonderful, we're extremely fond of him," Michael Middleton said. "They make a lovely couple."
Using Twitter as well as a news release, Clarence House said Charles was "delighted to announce the engagement of Prince William to Miss Catherine Middleton."
Few were surprised by the news. Kate and William's engagement was the safest bet in Britain, an event so certain that bookies had stopped taking bets on a 2011 wedding.
The date avoids London's Summer Olympics and the queen's Diamond Jubilee, both being held in 2012.
No venue has been announced yet.
For true pomp, the ceremony is likely to fall between the extraordinary spectacle of Charles and Diana's wedding in St. Paul's Cathedral and Charles' subdued second marriage to Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall at Windsor Guildhall in 2005.
The formal engagement is likely to turn the poised, brunette Middleton - already depicted approvingly in the fashion pages - into a global icon.
With her confident good looks and long brown hair, Middleton has already become one of the most photographed women in Britain.
The palace will be hoping that she combines Diana's glamour and charm with a more commonsense approach to life.
At 28, Middleton is considerably older than Diana was when she wed at 20, and has had greater life experiences and longer training in dealing with the media.
William and Harry have spent a lifetime in the spotlight, with their drunken nights out and female friends the subject of constant tabloid gossip.
William once told an interviewer he wouldn't marry "until I'm at least 28 or maybe 30."
He turned 28 in June, Middleton met William at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.
They shared a house along with other students in the seaside university town, where William initially studied art history before switching to geography.
In 2002, William paid 200 pounds ($320 USD) to sit in the front row at a charity fashion show where Middleton was modelling in a daring outfit.
They are thought to have started dating the following year.
St. Andrews congratulated the couple Tuesday, pointing out that the school has a reputation as "Britain's top matchmaking university."
A wealthy commoner rather than an aristocrat, Middleton is the daughter of self-made millionaires.
Her father worked for an airline and her mother was a flight attendant before they started a mail-order business specialising in children's parties, run from their house in southern England.
She attended Marlborough College, an elite private school, where she played tennis and field hockey, before studying art history at St. Andrews.
After graduating in 2005, Middleton worked as a buyer for the fashion chain Jigsaw.
She is now employed by her family's party-planning business.
Clarence House said after the wedding, the couple will live in north Wales, where William is based with the RAF.