The Queen has penned a formal letter approving the marriage of her grandson, Prince Harry, and his fiance, Meghan Markle. Using the pair’s real first names, Henry and Rachel, Her Majesty gave the couple her official blessing in a letter to the Privy Council, Reuters reports.
“I declare My Consent to a Contract of Matrimony between My Most Dearly Beloved Grandson Prince Henry Charles Albert David of Wales and Rachel Meghan Markle, which Consent I am causing to be signified under the Great Seal and to be entered in the Books of the Privy Council,” the declaration read.
Meghan first met the Queen in October last year when Prince Harry took her for afternoon tea at Buckingham Palace.
The Queen made a similar statement shortly before Prince William married Kate Middleton in 2011. “Our Most Dearly Beloved Grandson Prince William Arthur Philip Louis of Wales, K.G. and Our Trusty and Well-beloved Catherine Elizabeth Middleton”, she wrote at the time.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will marry on May 19 at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle. Read all the wedding details here.