Prince William & Kate Middleton Step Out After Engagement

11/16/2010 at 12:35 PM EST

Talk about a picture-perfect couple!

Hours after news of their royal engagement broke, Prince William and bride-to-be Kate Middleton appeared for the first time as an engaged couple during a photo call at St. James's Palace – and her ring was on view.

According to an official statement from the office of the father of the groom-to-be, Prince Charles, the two, both 28, "became engaged in October during a private holiday in Kenya."

While no official wedding date has been announced, the two are expected to marry in the spring or summer of next year.

PHOTOS: William & Kate's Fairy-Tale Romance

Prince Charles

Ben Mitchell / Abaca

"Everyone is absolutely delighted," an old friend tells PEOPLE. "He has never had eyes for any other woman since Kate came on the scene. She is going to make a wonderful wife, a wonderful princess."

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