Royal family recap: Peter Phillips' engagement news, Meghan Markle's family celebration and more

Good morning! It's a quiet day in the world of royal news so far, but we're certain that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are preparing for some major celebrations over the weekend at their gorgeous Montecito home.

Not only has Meghan Markle just announced the imminent launch of new products under her As Ever brand, but she's also turning 44 on Monday – we're expecting a big birthday party and some brilliant pictures!

While we don't know precisely what the royal couple have got planned for Meghan's birthday, we've got some ideas, based on how they've celebrated in the past.

It's likely that there'll be a more low-key celebration in their Montecito mansion, with Prince Archie, Princess Lilibet and her mother, Doria Ragland.

As her friends are incredibly important to her, she'll likely have a girls' lunch for her special day, which she did back in 2023 with some of her BFFS.

Harry and Meghan might also have a private romantic dinner at one of their favourite spots, such as Lucky's Steakhouse and Tre Lune, where they celebrated her 42nd birthday.

While the summer might mean plenty of us travel to royal residences which have flung their doors open, there is one exception. It's been confirmed that Balmoral will be closing down to the public from 10 August. Find out the reason why here.

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Spain's Queen Letizia is making the most of having her two daughters back in one place and they headed out to the movies on Thursday night. The trio watched En un lugar de la mente, a doucmentary about José Corbacho and Catalina Solivellas and their production of Don Quixote. The free production was revolutionary at the time, using only amateur actors who had been diagnosed with a mental health disorder.

While we're sure Letizia was over the moon to spend the night with her daughters, we can't get over how much Sofia towers over her mother and older sister.

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We all have our fashion muses, whether it's Victoria Beckham or Nicole Kidman, but HELLO!'s resident Fashion Expert, Laura Sutcliffe, has her own royal muse. Discover why Sarah Ferguson is the perfect inspiration for a redhead.

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Sweden's Princess Madeleine is enjoying an off-grid summer holiday with husband Christoipher O'Neill and their three children. And the royal shared the sweetest photo of her brood enjoying the sunshine. See it here!

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Prince William celebrated some major news on Friday in regards to one of his charitable projects. Find out more here.

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Learning a language can be incredibly hard, but Princess Beatrice's stepson has been excelling at it. Find out how his mother encourages the youngster to get in touch with his roots.

Good afternoon, it's HELLO!'s Royal Correspondent, Danielle, and we've just received some fantastic news. 

Princess Anne's son, Peter Phillips, has just announced his engagement to Harriet Sperling. 

The couple shared their news on Friday exclusively with HELLO! and released two photos which showed off Harriet's stunning engagement ring.

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A statement issued for the couple by Gerard Franklin, read: "Mr Peter Phillips, the son of HRH The Princess Royal and Captain Mark Phillips and Ms Harriet Sperling, daughter of the late Mr Rupert Sanders and Mrs Mary Sanders of Gloucestershire, have today confirmed their official engagement.  

"Both families were informed jointly of the announcement and were delighted with the wonderful news of their engagement. Their Majesties The King and Queen,  The Prince and Princess of Wales have been informed of the announcement. No date has been officially set for the wedding

Commenting on Peter and Harriet's engagement news, HELLO!'s royal editor, Emily Nash, said: "This is wonderful news for Peter and Harriet, but also the wider royal family. Peter is close to the King and to his cousins and Harriet seems to have been warmly welcomed into the fold."

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"The signs that this was serious have been there for some time and seeing Harriet taking part in the royal procession at Royal Ascot this year convinced many royal watchers an engagement was on the cards."

Harriet has continually impressed us in the style stakes since making her debut with Peter, favouring British labels such as Beulah London and ME+EM.

Her most recent look at Wimbledon saw her give a modern take on the co-ord, wearing a sky blue embroidered cropped blouse and high-waisted skirt from Wiggy Kit. 

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The Princess of Wales's brother, James Middleton, has just shared the cutest video from his family holiday.

And it looks like little Inigo is already quite the mini adventurer. 

HELLO!'s Royal Editor Emily Nash's weekly newsletter is out over on The HELLO! Royal Club. 

A story popped up this week, suggesting that the Prince and Princess of Wales were considering a move to Fort Belvedere on the Windsor Estate, the former home of King Edward VIII, it was met with raised eyebrows from seasoned royal watchers.

But Emily explores why it could be more than just summer speculation...

Sign up now. 

It's been quite an exciting day on the royal front with Peter Phillips and Harriet's engagement news.

That's it from me in the London office, but handing you over to my brilliant US-based colleague, Rebecca Lewis, in Los Angeles, who will be bringing you further royal news and updates into this evening.

Have a great weekend! 

Happy Friday, royal bloggers! Do you have any fun weekend plans?

Princess Beatrice's husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi has shared a rare glimpse into his weekend plan with a rare Instagram Story.

See more here.

I was over the moon to see the news this morning that Peter Phillips had proposed to girlfriend Harriet Sperling. 

HELLO! is rushing out to buy our hats this weekend, Peter!

But I also love this insight from our online royal correspondent Danielle Stacey into his close bond with his mom Princess Anne.

Did you see the TikTok video of the royal guards performing Black Sabbath's "Paranoid" in tribute to the late Ozzy Osboune?

I wrote about it over here, please check it out! 

Peter Phillips, may have only just proposed to Harriet Sperling but over at HELLO! we're already looking ahead to the big day.

Peter shares two daughters, Savannah, 14, and Isla, 13, with his ex-wife Autumn; Harriet, meanwhile, is a single mother to her daughter Georgia, who was born in 2012.

But how will the children be involved in the wedding? Find out here.

Speaking of the Queen's grandchildren and their weekend plans, Princess Eugenie is hosting Ayda and Robbie Williams at her Portugal home, according to social media!

Take a look at their snaps here.

Thanks for following along with us today on August 1, see you bright and fresh Monday! 

(Don't forget to go and listen to Taylor Swift's "August" to celebrate the new month, she is Prince William's favorite artist after all!) 

© Dave J Hogan/Centrepoint