19 August 2023 , 11:27
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Meghan Markle is still a princess of the Royal Family - but she will never be known as Princess Meghan.
After marrying Prince Harry, Meghan was named the Duchess of Sussex by the late Queen Elizabeth, but her lesser known official title was a rather odd one - Princess Henry of Wales. This is a reference to Harry’s name at birth, Henry, and is a title women acquire when marrying into the royal family.
But Meghan has never used the title, and these days it is uncommon for women in the royal family to do so. Kate Middleton also received the title when she married Prince William, but has not used it. The only royal who does use this title is Princess Michael of Kent, born Baroness Marie-Christine von Reibnitz.
She married Prince Michael of Kent, Elizabeth's cousin, in 1978, and chose to take on the title. Princess Michael was forced to apologise in 2017 after accusations of racism when she wore a ‘Blackamoor’ brooch - which typically depict an African or non-European male as a servant - during her first meeting with Meghan.
Despite leaving royal duties in 2020, Meghan remains the Duchess of Sussex (AP)Meghan’s outspoken comments on topics such as racism to politics have in fact led her to be stripped of her royal titles. This has not yet happened, despite the princess quitting the royal family for America in 2020.
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Despite being a princess, she will never technically be known as Princess Meghan - as this is reserved for those born into the Royal Family. Had she not been given the Sussex title, Meghan would have been Princess Henry - the same applies to Kate Middleton who technically isn’t Princess Kate, Newsweek reported.
After the wedding, Meghan gained the title of Prince Henry of Wales (Ben Birchhall/AP/REX/Shutterstock)Meghan has previously listed her occupation as “Princess of the United Kingdom” on a document for Sussex Royal, her now defunct UK nonprofit. It is as yet unknown whether Archie and Lilibet, children of Harry and Meghan, will be afforded prince and princess titles.
Under the George V Convention, all grandchildren of the monarch should receive the title, meaning after the Queen’s death Archie and Lilibet would become prince and princess. But so far only the children of William and Kate have been given the titles of all of the Queen’s great-grandchildren.
Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis were named as such at birth, because Prince William is the future king. This was decided after an announcement from the Queen that “all the children of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales should have and enjoy the style, title and attribute of Royal Highness with the titular dignity of Prince or Princess”.
As a result, while Prince George’s children might be princes and princesses - as he is the eldest child - the same might not be the case for Charlotte and Louis.