Prince William and Prince Harry’s major life changes will forever be connected by a place which holds a special place in their hearts.
- Both the Duke of Cambridge and Duke of Sussex’s lives changed forever from the magical moments they proposed to Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle.
- Their engagements are linked by a very special place that means a lot to both of them.
- This royal news comes as we revealed Prince Harry and Meghan Markle could be the likely successors to Prince Philip’s popular royal role.
Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding day was watched by millions of fans across the world and marked a huge moment for not only the future King and Queen Consort but the monarchy. The official announcement of their engagement had come just five months after the Duke of Cambridge proposed to his now-wife. And it was later revealed in the couple’s engagement interview that the proposal had come a month earlier in October 2010.
Getting down on one knee with the sapphire and diamond ring - one of the most iconic pieces of Princess Diana’s jewelry - Prince William popped the question during an African vacation. Though he wasn’t the only member of his family to have such a meaningful moment in his life connected to this beautiful continent…
Asked about how the engagement came about, the Duke of Cambridge told ITV’s Tom Bradby that it just felt “right” to propose that month during a trip with friends.
“It was about three weeks ago on holiday in Kenya,” Prince William explained. “We had a little private time away together with some friends. And I just decided that it was the right time really. We’d been talking about marriage for a while, so it wasn’t a massively big surprise, but I took her up somewhere nice in Kenya and proposed.”
Kate smiled adoringly at her now-husband as she added, “It was very romantic, there’s a true romantic in there.”
The Duke of Cambridge’s decision to propose in Kenya during this magical vacation is something that contrasts hugely to his own parents' experience.
Early on in Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s relationship, the eldest of the Queen’s children is said to have popped the question at Windsor Castle. But whilst Prince William's proposal to Kate might have been different from other royal proposals, it's linked with a similarly unforgettable moment in Prince Harry’s life.
Six years after the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s fairytale wedding, Prince Harry proposed to Meghan Markle. And whilst his choice to ask Meghan to marry him in the comfort of their former home at Kensington Palace couldn’t be more different to the Cambridge’s Kenyan vacation, Africa also played a major part in his proposal too.
Whilst Meghan Markle’s engagement ring changed over the years, the central stone has remained the same. As previously revealed by the Duke of Sussex in his and Meghan’s engagement interview, this main stone comes from Botswana.
In Finding Freedom, biographers Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand claimed that Prince Harry took Meghan to Botswana for a third date, adding even more meaning to the stone choice.
Meanwhile, earlier this month Prince Harry revealed in a speech at the United Nations General Assembly that Africa is the place "where I knew I had found a soulmate in my wife”, perhaps referring to their Botswana vacation.
The engagements of Prince William and Duchess Kate and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle could be seen as huge life-changing moments for both of the Queen’s grandchildren. And it seems the continent of Africa will forever be a special place and played a part in both these royal love stories.
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