Since last year, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been happily re-enacting their own take on royal rom-com The Prince And Me, and according to the latest reports, Harry could be getting down on one knee very soon, following the couple’s public debut at the Invictus Games in Toronto.
Should Harry be considering getting hitched to Meghan, royal protocol dictates that, as fifth in line to the throne, the Prince must seek permission from his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.
Once he (hopefully) receives the royal green light and heads down the aisle, both Harry and his future wife will most likely receive new royal titles: remember when Prince William and Kate Middleton were announced as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge after their marriage?
Prince Harry with Queen Elizabeth 11
Royal historian Marlene Koenig told Royal Central that in the UK, a wife automatically takes on her husband’s title – but Meghan would not become Princess Meghan.
Princess Charlotte
Instead, she would be HRH Princess Henry of Wales, which doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue (and might not fit on the Suits credits).
Princess, after all, is a title reserved for those born into the British monarchy: so while Princesses Charlotte, Eugenie and Beatrice have it, Kate Middleton does not. (Kate is known as Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge.)
Similarly, ‘Princess Diana’ was never really an official title (she was actually Diana, Princess of Wales).
Diana, Princess of Wales
Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice
It is much more likely that Prince Harry will receive a peerage upon his marriage.
“Most likely, he will be created a Duke. Sussex is available so [Meghan] would be HRH the Duchess of Sussex,” Koenig explains. “Her rank would be a princess by marriage of the United Kingdom, Great Britain and Northern Ireland.”
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge with her sister Pippa Middleton
The title of Duke of Sussex was last held by Prince Augustus Frederick, the sixth son of King George III, and has not been claimed since his death in 1843. It was rumoured that William would receive the title upon his marriage, but since he became Duke of Cambridge instead, it has been assumed that Sussex will be kept for Harry.
If you need us, we’ll be picking out our hat for the royal wedding…
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