Mariah Carey and James Packer engaged: Timeline of couple's whirlwind romance before $7m proposal

Wedding bells are soon to ring for power couple Mariah Carey and James Packer, who have reportedly gotten engaged. The Australian businessman is said to have proposed to the US singer at a private dinner in New York on 21 January 2016, almost a year after they began dating. It will be the third time lucky for the happy couple following two failed marriages each and a string of unsuccessful relationships, but sources say the couple have finally met their match.

Packer, 48, is said to have thrown an engagement party at the big apple's Eleven Madison Park with a select group of the We Belong Together singer's friends in attendance. The couple were seen outside the venue with Carey, 45, happily flashing what appears to be a very large diamond ring, which various jewellers in the UK have estimated to cost in excess of $7m (£4.8m), the Mail Online reports.

Confirming the engagement, reps for Carey told Daily Mail Australia: "Yes, the couple were engaged tonight in New York." It will be the third time the Grammy-winning singer has walked down the aisle, following her marriage to music executive Tommy Mottola between 1993 and 1997, and later entertainer Nick Cannon from 2008 and 2015.

Carey and Cannon are parents to four-year-old twins Moroccan and Monroe, while Packer has three children with ex-wife Erica Baxter, Indigo, seven, Jackson, five and Emmanuelle, three. Packer and Erica were married from 2007 and 2013, while his three-year marriage to Jodhi Meares ended in 2002.

As Carey and Packer celebrate the new chapter in their lives, IBTimes UK charts their love story so far.

July 2014

The pair meet at the Hercules premiere in Aspen where Carey frequently visits for holidays. Detailing their first encounter, Carey told Steve Harvey on his chat show: "We first met in Aspen. We were at the Hercules premiere. We were talking and laughing and people were getting mad at us and stuff like that. So we hit it off."

June 2015

More than a year later, Packer and Carey have reconnected and enjoy a break away in Capri where they are seen spending time on a private yacht. The couple spent the rest of the summer whisking each other away on a series of holidays, visiting Israel, Cannes, Antibes and the south of France.

September 2015

Two months later, Carey and Packer made their red carpet debut at The Intern premiere but the singer insists their public outing was not as contrived as it may seem. The singer later told ET: "I don't think either one of us thought, 'Here we are, making a debut', he's not that guy."

October 2015

Playing the role of supportive girlfriend, Carey joined Packer at the launch of his new casino, Studio City, in Macau, where she also performed.

November 2015

During her appearance on Steve Harvey's talk show, Carey shows off the $500,000 necklace Packer had gifted to her. Gushing over the piece of jewellery, the singer said: "Oh, this old thing? This is a Van Cleef [& Arpels] piece that my new beau got for me recently. This was a very, very big surprise... Really nice. I wore it that night... he was opening a casino."

December 2015

After spending Christmas in Aspen together as a family, the couple jet over to Packer's native Australia where she performs at the businessman's Melbourne Crown casino. Carey told the crowd: "Spectacular, handsome... I don't even have words for the man who introduced me tonight. We'll just say the amazing Mr James Packer."

January 2016

Packer proposes at a private dinner in New York and a rep confirms the happy news.