Britain's biggest selling tabloid quoted a friend close to the couple as saying Timberlake, a singer with American boy band N Sync, proposed to the chart-topping Spears two weeks ago.

"They haven't set a date for the big day. They're just taking things very slowly," the paper quoted its source as saying.

Spears, 18, has sold millions of records and conquered pop charts around the globe with her youthful energy and catchy dance tunes.

The British media have linked the blonde-haired singer with a number of celebrities, including Britain's Prince William.

Teen Marriages - Celebrity Marriages - Lasting Love?

Is it true or just more gossip? The London Tabloid, "News of the World" reported Sunday that pop sensations Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake had become engaged. This report came hot on the heels of rumours that Spears was interested in heir to the throne Prince William. Despite Spears's repeated denial of anything more than friendship with Timberlake, the gossip has persisted. In a Much Music interview last month, Britney Spears flatly denied that she had any romantic involvement with the N'Sync front man. This denial came despite reports last March that the two teen super stars were sharing an apartment in Hollywood. Adding more fuel to the rumour filled fire were reports of romance backstage at the Grand Ole Opry House last summer. In fact the most Spears ever admitted about her relationship with Timberlake was, "I adore him. He is the cutest thing in the world, and we talk, but it's nothing serious." So, this weekends announcement comes as a bit of a shock to fans.

But the announcement is more than your standard celebrity engagement, this is an engagement between TEENS, and two of the most admired teens in all of North America at that. Spears and Timberlake, both 18, have known each other for a long time. They starred together on the Disney Channel's New Mickey Mouse Club in the 1990's, and have obviously remained close. They are both self supporting with lots of money and are in a business that forces them to act more grown up than they may feel. They share an understanding of the strains of extreme fame. But do they have what it takes to make a marriage last? On the surface, the answer looks to be "yes". Their shared experiences and "life in a bubble" put them on the same level, and they have a deep, shared history. But the statistics on teen marriage are not good.

Over 50% of teen marriages end in divorce, with the number one reason for the initial coupling being unexpected pregnancy. Will the pairing of two celebrated teens change all that? Will teens start to think of marriage as trendy or cool? Can we expect a rise in teen marriages in the months to come? There are so many reasons why teen marriages are set to fail, not the least of which is societal pressure and disapproval. Girls who marry in their teens are often less educated than their single peers, and boys who marry in their teens tend to have lower paying jobs *source. Obviously this isn't a concern for Spears and Timberlake, but could their fairy tale coupling give other teens a false sense of what marriage means?