This Is Why Meghan Markle Won't Be Called 'Princess Meghan'
As the media frenzy kicks into high gear for the Royal Wedding on Saturday, plenty of people will be throwing around "Princess Meghan" this and "Princess Meghan" that once she ties the knot with Prince Harry and is officially bestowed her royal title. But here's the thing: she will never actually become Princess Meghan, even when she's married.
The reason is not because she's an American that the Queen has deemed unworthy of such a title for some reason, but rather due to some ridiculously arcane rules that dictate how royal titles are assigned. It's all kind of complicated, but we'll walk you through it so you can blow your friends' minds with a little Royal Wedding trivia.
Spoiler alert: despite what you may think, Princess Diana was never actually formally called "Princess Diana."
Why won't Meghan Markle be called "Princess Meghan"?
To put it simply, the only way to have one's first name preceded by "Princess" is to be born into the royal family. So, for instance, Queen Elizabeth's sister Margaret was allowed to call herself Princess Margaret, and the Queen's daughter Anne is Princess Anne (and, subsequently, her daughters are officially Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie).
This is not to say Meghan Markle won't be a princess, she just won't be called Princess Meghan, with Princess in front of Meghan. Officially, she will take the title of Her Royal Highness, Princess Henry of Wales. That follows the example of her soon-to-be sister-in-law Catherine, who officially became Her Royal Highness, Princess William of Wales the day she married Prince William.
What will Meghan Markle's official title be?
It is rumored that as a wedding gift, the Queen will actually bestow Meghan and Harry dukedom like she did for Kate and William, which would actually change Meghan's title to Duchess (Kate's official title since she and William were bestowed the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge is Her Royal Highness, Duchess of Cambridge). Duchess is less a demotion from "princess" than a way to distinguish one's role in the Royal Family.
Dukedoms are often doled out to members of the royal family who occupy prestigious roles that are somewhat outside the main business of the monarchy, according a report by the BBC. If the rumors are true, the Queen will bestow them the dukedom of Sussex, and Harry and Meghan will thereafter be known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, with Meghan's official title becoming HRH, Duchess of Sussex. That doesn't grant them any land or control over any territory in Sussex or anything, but rather just a distinct and fancy title.
But wasn't Diana known as "Princess Diana"?
This is a bit tricky. The short answer is no. Diana Spencer never officially held the title of Princess Diana. Rather, she was given the title of Her Royal Highness, Princess of Wales when she married Prince Charles. It's a courtesy title held by the wife of the Prince of Wales (Camilla Parker Bowles holds the title now). After Diana divorced Prince Charles, her title became Diana, Princess of Wales. Princess Diana was simply the name the given to her by the public.
What titles will be given to Meghan and Harry's children?
If and when Meghan and Harry have kids, they will likely not be given royal highness titles, but rather will be Lord(s) and Lady(s). However, the Queen could potentially intervene and allow the children of Harry to hold the title of royal highness and ultimately be known as princes or princesses, as she did for William and Kate's children when Kate was first pregnant.
If you're hoping to watch the royal festivities unfold live on Saturday, here's everything you need to know.
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