It has all the elements of a Hollywood script – a tall, handsome English aristocrat and a former Baywatch beach babe fall in love. But the romance between the future Earl of Devon, Charles Courtenay, and American actress Allison Joy Langer is very real, with Charles popping the question while the pair sat on surfboards off the coast of California.
The couple met two years ago during a visit to the US by 28-year-old Lord Courtnenay, who was studying to be a lawyer in London. A year into their relationship, however, he took up his studies in the States in order to be near Allison, 29.
While the heir to historic Powderham Castle in Devon is of ancient lineage – Courtenays participated in the Crusades and fought under Henry V at Agincourt - his bride to be comes from more humble origins. Her father is a salesman, and her mum has her own hearing aid company.
When her intended eventually inherits the family title from his 61-year-old father, AJ will assume the title of countess, and the couple plan on returning to the family seat, one of the oldest of its kind in England.
Since her Baywatch days AJ, as she is known, has become a familiar face on US TV screens with a series of roles in sitcoms such as Seinfeld. Many fans remember her role opposite Claire Danes and Jared Leto as Rayanne in the Nineties teen drama My So Called Life.
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