Prince Harry laughs off marriage rumors

Britain’s Prince Harry has laughed off rumors he plans to marry Cressida Bonas.

The royal deflected queries from journalists about his girlfriend and their prospective engagement at the Forget-Me-Not dinner held on Monday night (10.07.13) in aid of his Sentebale charity, which aims to help children in Lesotho affected by the HIV virus.

The bashful royal turned pink and burst into peals of laughter at the Dubai-based event when he was directly probed whether he would be popping the question soon.

Speculation has been rife that Harry, 29, was planning on proposing to the 24-year-old socialite, who he has been dating for the past 18 months.

The loved-up pair kept their romance under wraps at first, but have been seen on a series of public dates in recent months.

Harry – nicknamed the ‘party prince’ – is thought to want to settle down and start a family like his older brother Prince William and his wife Catherine, who welcomed their first child this July.

A source told E! News: ”Seeing Prince William and Kate [Middleton] get married and settle down has had a real effect on Harry. He’s just seen how happy they are and he’s realised that he wants that too.

”Cressida is very much up for getting more serious. They want to remain very much as they are – with a private life away from the cameras. For now they want to enjoy as much time together before the seriousness of their relationship becomes public with announcements.”