Prince Harry's best friend Thomas Van Straubenzee is engaged to marry Lady Melissa Percy, whose principal residency is Northumberland's Alnwick Castle, aka, Hogwarts. The stunning Grade 1 listed building doubles for the school of witchcraft and wizardry in the blockbuster Harry Potter films.

Lady Percy, 25, is the youngest daughter of the Duke of Northumberland and is "thrilled" about the upcoming nuptials which they hope to hold next year, according to The Telegraph. The engagement will delight Prince Harry, who's been friends with Van Straubenzee since they attended Ludgrove prep school and Eton College together. As yet there's no word on wedding venues, though Straubenzee and Percy are certainly spoilt for choice, with West London's Syon Park her father's home in the capital. Some may remember that in August, Prince Harry gave a police statement after Van Straubenzee was attacked in Battersea, South London, while speaking to the Royal on a mobile phone.

In 2002, Thomas's brother Henry - another friend of Prince Harry - was killed in a car crash aged 18. He had gained an Army scholarship and planned to follow a career in the military after a planned gap-year working in Uganda.