Meghan Markle related to ex-Prime Minister as Duchess' lofty ancestors exposed

07 March 2024 , 14:43

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Meghan Markle's unlikely family relation to former UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill

The Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle might have married into the British royal family, but she has links to British history thanks to her ancestors already.

Meghan married husband Prince Harry in 2018 with a lavish ceremony in Windsor, cementing her place in the royal family tree but it appears she already has British family links of her own. The former Suits actress has shown that her acting talent may well be descended down the ranks thanks to a very distant family relation to famous playwright William Shakespeare as well as a link to one of the most famous political figures of British history in Sir Winston Churchill.

Researchers discovered that she is related to both wartime Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill and William Shakespeare. Meghan's family links to both UK history figures might be distant but they do exist, with the Duchess the sixth cousin five times removed of Churchill and also the fifth cousin 13 times removed of Shakespeare.

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Meghan Markle has links to two British history figures via her ancestors (Getty Images)

Meghan is the sixth cousin five times removed of Sir Winston Churchill (Popperfoto via Getty Images)

Meghan's ancestor Sarah Howe married Zachariah Howe in the 17th century, whose descendents include Churchill. Zachariah was born in Essex in 1640 and moved to Lynn, Massachusetts where he later met and married Sarah, which accounts for how American Meghan is linked to such a senior British political figure.

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Meghan and Harry may no longer be working royals, following their step down in 2020, but they continue to have their royal links. Their children Archie and Lilibet are now able to use the royal title of Prince and Princess and use HRH after their grandfather King Charles III took the throne last year. Despite the royal link, the youngest of the Sussex clan face difficulties in trying to build a relationship with the royal family, with a royal expert warning that Archie and Lilibet have "huge obstacles" in their way when it comes to having a relationship with King Charles in particular.

Meghan Markle cemented her link to the UK royal family when she married her husband Prince Harry in 2018 (Getty Images)

Royal expert and author Tom Quinn exclusively told the Mirror: "There are huge obstacles to King Charles having a relationship with his grandchildren. It's not just the fact that they live in the States and that Meghan recalls her time in the UK with anger and upset, it's that no one in the family now trusts the couple - any time the Sussexes and their children spend with Charles is risky for the royal family. Once you have washed the family dirty linen in public no one is going to trust you not to do it again."

Niamh Spence