A spokesman for Prince Charles said Prince William has given Ms. Middleton the engagement ring─an oval sapphire surrounded by diamonds─that belonged to his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, the Associated Press reported.
The engagement was announced in a brief statement released by Clarence House, the official residence of Prince Charles. 'The Prince of Wales is delighted to announce the engagement of Prince William to Miss Catherine Middleton.
'The wedding will take place in the spring or summer of 2011, in London. Further details about the wedding day will be announced in due course.
'Prince William has informed the Queen and other close members of his family. Prince William has also sought the permission of Miss Middleton's father.'
The couple, who are both aged 28, were engaged in October during a private holiday in Kenya. Prince William, who is second in line to the throne after his father Prince Charles, will marry Ms. Middleton in London next spring or summer. Afterwards the couple will live in north Wales where he will continue to serve with the Royal Air Force as a search and rescue helicopter pilot.
The wedding promises to be a extravaganza for Britain, recalling the 1981 wedding of Prince Charles and Diana that drew massive television audiences around the globe.
The couple have been together for eight years. They first met as undergraduates while studying at St. Andrews University in Fife, Scotland. They both graduated in the same ceremony in 2005, the same year their relationship was exposed when they were photographed together on the Swiss ski slopes of Klosters.
Clarence House also said that the prince had followed traditional protocol and asked Ms. Middleton's parents for their daughter's hand in marriage.
Prime Minister David Cameron said he was 'delighted to hear this wonderful news.' In a statement he said: 'I am sure the whole country will join Samantha [Cameron] and me in wishing them great joy in their life together.'
Ms. Middleton, who isn't a member of a royal family, is the eldest child of businessman Michael Middleton and former flight attendant Carol Middleton. She grew up in the Berkshire village of Bucklebury where her family runs a mail-order toy and party-goods company.
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