Harry, who has been dating Cressida Bonas for two years, is reportedly planning to take his girlfriend to the Queen’s Scottish highlands retreat for the first time, which will likely include a meeting with the 87-year-old monarch.
According to British newspapers, the couple’s trip to the Balmoral home could be a prelude to a formal engagement announcement.
“Prince Harry is expected to bring Cressida,” according to a newspaper source. “It is the talk of the estate.”
Visits to the Queen’s 49,000-acre estate are thought to be a rite of passage for any royal bride-to-be.
The Duchess of Cambridge and her parents were invited to join Prince William on a private shooting party at Balmoral in back in October 2010, and a month later their engagement was announced.
The usually discreet couple finally made their romance official at the weekend with two very public outings in three days after spending months trying to avoid being pictured together.
Bonas joined Harry at a public engagement for the first time on Friday, and on Sunday the pair were spotted at Twickenham Stadium with Cressida snapped looking absolutely smitten with the redheaded royal.
Harry has previously talked about finding a girlfriend who could tackle the pressures of being with a member of the Royal Family, saying he was “not so much searching for someone to fulfill the role, but obviously finding someone that would be willing to take it on”.
Bonas, who was reportedly introduced to Harry by her friend and his cousin, Princess Eugenie, comes from a bohemian but appropriately blue-blooded family.