Prince William, the 28-year-old royal – who is second in line to throne behind his father the Prince of Wales – will marry 28-year-old Kate next year following a secret engagement during a holiday to Kenya last month, Clarence House have confirmed.

“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.

“Following the marriage, the couple will live in north Wales, where Prince William will continue to serve with the Royal Air Force.”

The pair began dating eight years ago while they both studied at St. Andrews University in Fife, Scotland.

A spokesman for St James’s Palace said William and Kate had given “clear direction in terms of dates and venues”.

“Our job is to consult with the relevant parties – the Queen, Duke of Edinburgh and the Middletons – and report back,” he said.

Speculation that the couple will tie the knot at Westminster Abbey, as revealed by the Mirror last month, increased when Kate was spotted visiting the church this week.

It has previously hosted the weddings of the Queen and the Queen Mother and also staged the funeral of William’s mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.

Prince William Gives Kate Middleton Princess Diana’s Engagement Ring

Princess Diana oval sapphire engagement ring

Prince William has honored his late mother by giving his new fiancée Kate Middleton the engagement ring that Prince Charles once gave to Princess Diana. “It’s very special to me. As Kate’s very special to me now, it was right to put the two together,” William said as the newly-engaged couple faced the cameras for the first time today. The ring is an oval sapphire surrounded by diamonds. William proposed to Kate on a safari in Kenya in October, but he first asked her father for permission to propose. Michael Middleton said that he and his wife are “absolutely delighted” and “thrilled” by the engagement announcement.The wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, which will take place in the spring or summer of 2011, is already being heralded as the biggest wedding since Charles and Diana’s.

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