Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were engaged in secret for months before their big public announcement, it has been claimed.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex told the world they were engaged in late November 2017.
The beaming pair posed for the cameras in the chilly garden at Kensington Palace, with a royal statement saying Harry popped the question 'earlier this month'.
But it has now been claimed the couple got engaged around four months before and that Meghan had already said yes when she went on the cover of Vanity Fair to confirm they were dating.
It means the pair would have been dating for less than a year when Harry asked the actress to be his wife.
"His Royal Highness and Ms. Markle became engaged in London earlier this month. Prince Harry has informed Her Majesty The Queen and other close members of his family. Prince Harry has also sought and received the blessing of Ms. Markle's parents," the Palace said.
But a new book has claimed they were 'privately engaged' months before their public announcement, but didn't want anyone to know.
Valentine Low's Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind The Crown discussed Meghan's interview with Vanity Fair in October that year.
"The interview was, in effect, Meghan’s big launch," she wrote.
"The couple were not officially engaged — though everyone in Kensington Palace knew they had been privately engaged since the late summer — but this was Meghan putting herself out there in a confident, pro-active way."
Meghan's engagement ring was designed by Harry and features two diamonds which belonged to his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, the announcement read.
The pair went on to marry on Saturday May 19, 2018 in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle.
Oprah was among the guests in Windsor, as well as George and Amal Clooney, James Corden and the Beckhams.
It was estimated the total cost of the wedding to be £33.5 million, including £30 million for security at the event.
However, in an interview with legendary chat show host Oprah Winfrey, they claimed they actually got hitched three days before the royal wedding.
Bizarrely, they later clarified that they didn't officially marry in the build up to the big day.
The couple confirmed they exchanged unofficial, personal vows before their huge celebration, watched by millions around the world.
Speaking during the interview, Meghan said: "You know, three days before our wedding, we got married - no-one knows that.
"Just the two of us in our backyard with the Archbishop of Canterbury.
"We called the Archbishop and we just said, 'Look, this thing, this spectacle is for the world but we want our union between us'."
"So, like, the vows that we have framed in our room are just the two of us in our backyard with the Archbishop of Canterbury."
