LONDON — Britain’s royal palace says Prince Harry and actress Meghan Markle are engaged and will marry in the spring of 2018.

The announcement came Monday from the office of Harry’s father, Prince Charles.

The announcement says the couple became engaged earlier this month. It says 36-year-old Markle has met Queen Elizabeth II, and Harry also has received the blessing of Markle’s parents.

“The wedding will take place in Spring 2018,” says the statement, adding that the newlyweds would live in Nottingham Cottage, a property on the sprawling Kensington Palace estate in London.

Harry, 33, is fifth in line to the British throne.

Weeks after first opening up about their relationship, Prince Harry and Markle made their first official public appearance in September, holding hands as they walked toward Toronto’s city hall to attend a wheelchair tennis event at Harry’s Invictus Games for wounded veterans.

The couple has been photographed together in the past but the Invictus Games was the first time they appeared together at an official event. The two sat together and took in a match of the wheelchair tennis between Australia and New Zealand at the small venue.

Markle, 36, recently told Vanity Fair they were in love. Harry had been dating Markle since last year. He confirmed the relationship in November when he complained about intrusive press coverage.

The Vanity Fair interview prompted British bet-maker Betfair to offer 6-to-4 odds that the couple is engaged by the end of 2017 and 3-to-1 odds that they marry in 2018.

Best known as paralegal Rachel Zane in the US Network legal drama, “Suits,” Markle has appeared on “General Hospital,” ”CSI: Miami,” ”Without A Trace” and “Castle.” She also is a campaigner for gender equality.