Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are to marry at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle next May and will go on their first public walkabout on Friday in Nottingham, the palace announced on Tuesday.
The couple are planning to involve members of the public in the proceedings in some form yet to be determined.
“It will be a moment of fun and joy that will reflect the character of the bride and groom,” said their spokesman.
Markle (36) who is American, will also become a British citizen and will be baptised and confirmed into the Church of England before the wedding, Kensington Palace announced.
It said that royal family would pay for the wedding, including the church service, the music, the flowers and the reception.
The service is expected to draw a star-studded congregation with Markle's friends including tennis star Serena Williams expected to attend.
After the wedding Markle will also become the fourth patron of the Royal Foundation, the main charitable arm of the Kensington Palace royals – the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry. It has so far launched initiatives such as the Invictus Games and the Heads Together mental health campaign.
Markle's belongings are currently being shipped from Canada to Kensington Palace and she is planning to travel back to North America to see friends and family in the months before the wedding.
Markle divorced her first husband, film producer Trevor Engelson, in 2013. Her parents are award-winning TV lighting designer Thomas Markle and yoga instructor Doria Ragland, who lives in Los Angeles.
Markle was educated at a Catholic School, but her father is reported to be a member of the Episcopal Church of the United States, which is part of the Anglican communion. Her mother is reported to be of the Protestant faith.
In a TV interview on Monday, Markle described the engagement as a transition "out of my career, but into the role". She said she wanted to focus more energy on the causes that she has already championed. Markle has been an ambassador for UN Women and a global ambassador for World Vision, including driving a clean water campaign in Rwanda. She will withdraw from those roles.
“She wants to start a clean slate getting to know this country and travelling round the Commonwealth,” their spokesman said.
“Once you have access or a voice that people are going to listen to, with that comes a lot of responsibility, which I take seriously,” she said.
“I think in these beginning few months and now being boots on the ground in the UK I’m excited to just really get to know more about the different communities here, smaller organisations who are working on the same causes that I’ve always been passionate about.” – Guardian service