Wedding bells are ringing in the royal family. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have announced their engagement and plan to wed in the spring of 2018.

Markle was previously in a relationship with Trevor Engelson from 2004 to 2011. They wed in September 10, 2011 and later divorced in 2013. Markle and the Prince’s relationship is believed to have begun in October of 2016. They were set up by a mutual friend on a blind date and as it goes, “the rest was history.”

The last time an American married into the royal family was in 1936. King Edward VIII stepped down from the throne to marry the American socialite Wallis Simpson.

Not only is Markle not the first American to marry into the Royal family but she is also not the first mixed-race person to do so. The royal family tree shows that King George III’s wife, Queen Charlotte, was of African descent. Together they had 15 children.

It’s not certain whether Markle will be given the title of “Princess.”  Due to the fact that Meghan is not of royal birth, she won’t be formally known as Princess Meghan. It is ultimately up to Queen Elizabeth II to select and bestow a title upon both her and Prince Harry, on their wedding day. However, upon marriage she will become Her Royal Highness Princess Henry of Wales.

This royal engagement has created a huge positive uproar. Markle is biracial, raised catholic and has already been married and divorced. It shows huge strides toward a more modern and accepting stance for the historically rigid and socially conservative British Royal family.