Meghan is Prince Harry’s princess
Prince Harry (left) and Meghan Markle will get married in May 2018. Net Photo
What you need to know:
- Prince Harry is a grandson of Queen Elizabeth II and fifth in line to the throne. He is a son of the heir to the throne.
- Prince Harry and Markle are expected to be known as the duke and duchess of Sussex after they are married although she may be known informally as Princess Meghan.
It’s all wedding bells and love at Buckingham palace following the engagement of Prince Harry, 33 and American actress Meghan Markle, 36. The royal engagement was announced on Monday.
Markle’s engagement to Prince Harry has been applauded by many people as an up-to-the-minute step of the monarchy. “A divorced, mixed-race, Hollywood actress who attended a Roman Catholic school is to marry the son of the next king,” began the lead editorial on Tuesday in The Daily Telegraph, a UK newspaper.
Markle will be the first American to marry into the royal family since Wallis Simpson, the divorced socialite, whose relationship with King Edward VIII triggered a constitutional crisis and prompted his abdication in 1936. And it was only in 2013 that the law was amended so that members of the royal family could marry Catholics without losing their place in the line of succession.
The royal engagement therefore raises questions of whether this is a symbol of change? Not to mention the fact that she is not Briton or a citizen of Britain, Markle, is a biracial American, whose, mother is a black yoga instructor and her father a white cinematographer. She is divorced and two years older than Prince Harry.
On Tuesday, it was announced that Markle would — in addition to joining the Anglican Church — apply for British citizenship after marrying Prince Harry on an unspecified date in May in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.
In their first interview since the announcement, with BBC, Markle revealed that she had very little understanding of the British royal family and its significance. “I did not know much about him,” adding that the pair had been set up on a blind date by a friend.
Prince Harry is a grandson of Queen Elizabeth II and fifth in line to the throne. He is a son of the heir to the throne. Prince Harry and Markle are expected to be known as the duke and duchess of Sussex after they are married although she may be known informally as Princess Meghan.
If Prince Harry were to decline the dukedom, he would remain Prince Henry of Wales — his official name.
Source: Newyork Times
