Meghan Markle's Parents "Incredibly Happy" for Her Engagement to Prince Harry

"We wish them a lifetime of happiness and are very excited for their future together," Thomas Markle and Doria Ragland said in a statement

Of all people, Thomas Markle and Doria Ragland are perhaps the most proud of Meghan Markle's engagement to Prince Harry. The 33-year-old royal proposed to the 36-year-old Suits actress earlier this month in London, which Clarence House announced Monday. Meghan's parents, Thomas Markle and Doria Ragland, said they are "incredibly happy" for the twosome.

"We are incredibly happy for Meghan and Harry. Our daughter has always been a kind and loving person. To see her union with Harry, who shares the same qualities, is a source of great joy for us as parents," Thomas and Doria said in a joint statement, issued through Clarence House. "We wish them a lifetime of happiness and are very excited for their future together."

Meghan was born Aug. 4, 1981, in L.A. Her father is an Emmy-winning lighting director who worked on Married With Children..., while her mother is a psychotherapist and yoga instructor.

Harry and Meghan made their first public appearance together in September at the opening ceremony of the Invictus Games, an international sporting event he set up for injured soldiers.

Earlier that month, Meghan spoke about their romance for the first time, telling Vanity Fair, "We're two people who are really happy and in love." The couple will pose for an engagement portrait and do a joint interview Monday, something she hinted at in the interview. "I'm sure there will be a time when we will have to come forward and present ourselves and have stories to tell," she told the magazine, "but I hope what people will understand is that this is our time."

With a date tentatively set for the spring of 2018, wedding preparations are already underway. "We are very excited for Harry and Meghan," Harry's brother, Prince William, and sister-in-law, Kate Middleton, said Monday. "It has been wonderful getting to know Meghan and to see how happy she and Harry are together." Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, who celebrated their platinum anniversary last week, "are delighted for the couple and wish them every happiness."

Harry is fifth in line to the throne, after Prince Charles, William, Prince George and Princess Charlotte.