Nicole Richie and Joel Madden are expecting their first child and by the time the little one arrives, they could well be Mrs. and Mr. Madden.

It was a couple of weeks ago that Nicole confirmed the pregnancy rumors which had insistently spun around her for some time. She and boyfriend Joel Madden, lead singer of Good Charlotte, were expecting their first baby, she said.

The two are now engaged, according to events that occurred over the weekend. People magazine reports that a radio DJ in Arlington, Virginia, congratulated Joel as he was walking off the stage with his band, after performing, for having got engaged the day before.

Hot 99.5 morning-show host Kane told the crowd of fans: “He got engaged yesterday. Congratulations, Joel!”

Kane told People magazine that the 28-year-old rocker shared his exciting news with him before the concert and that he accepted the DJ’s congratulations with a “Thank you so much.”

Nicole and Joel have been together since late 2006. Before starting his romance with the blonde socialite, Joel had been in a relationship with actress/singer Hilary Duff for two and a half years.

Nicole, who starred in the reality TV series “The Simple Life,” alongside longtime pal Paris Hilton, has previously been linked romantically to club DJ Adam Goldstein, whom she was even engaged with at one time.

The first half of 2006 was somewhat rocky for the adopted daughter of singer Lionel Richie, as she awaited a judge’s decision regarding her arrest for driving under the influence in mid-December 2006.

She admitted to having smoked marijuana and taken Vicodin before getting behind the wheel. In late July 2007, the 25-year-old socialite was sentenced to four days of prison, which she must complete by the end September 2007.

Best friend Paris Hilton’s own time behind the bars must have been an ominous sign for Nicole. With such a precedent, there were great chances that she too would find herself in a similar facility.

In addition to the four days of jail, she will be placed under three years’ probation. Nicole was also ordered to join a drug and alcohol programme and she paid a fine.