Indigo/Getty ImagesThe woman the British tabloids oh-so-respectfully dubbed "Waity Katie" will be made to wait no more.
Prince William has formally announced his engagement to Kate Middleton, pleasing monarchists, the prime minister (from the sounds of it) and fans of cupid the world over.
Time to brush up on your protocol, everyone: there's another (massive, breathlessly awaited) royal wedding in our future. But when?
Well, let's just say, it won't be a marathon engagement.
"The Prince of Wales is delighted to announce the engagement of Prince William to Miss Catherine Middleton," trumpeted this morning's official statement from Clarence House, the casa de Prince Charles.
"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."
If history is anything to go by, and in royal circumstances, it's never not, the location will be Westminster Abbey. The date also reeks of practicality, as a longer engagement would no doubt overshadow the London Olympic games, set for 2012, or Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee, also set for that year—that entire year.
How gracious of the future king and queen.
As for details of how the engagement came about, there may be a reason for the recent surge in stories speculating on the state of the couples' union. And those enviable glows both have been sporting on their string of unexpectedly public outings.
"Prince William and Miss Middleton became engaged in October during a private holiday in Kenya," the official statement read. "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."
For those wanting details on the ring, Buckingham Palace confirmed that William gave Kate his late mother Princess Diana's engagement ring. After the wedding, the couple will live in north Wales, where Wills is currently stationed with the Royal Air Force.
As for how the rest of England is taking news of the engagement, it seems to have gone down fairly well. After being passed a note, Prime Minister David Cameron announced the betrothal during a cabinet meeting, which was met with cheers and "a great banging of the table." Which is apparently a good thing.
Incidentally, the couple is both 28—the magic minimum age so often noted in the press at which Prince William said he would begin to consider marriage—and met more than eight years ago while studying together at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.
Congrats! Oh, and Harry? You're up.