Meghan Markle married Prince Harry in 2018 after dating for 2 years. The former Suits actress became the Duchess of Sussex thanks to her marriage. The couple went on to have two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet - they gained the Prince and Princess titles when Charles became King.
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However, as many know, Prince Harry and Meghan didn’t stay in The Firm for long and in 2020 they stepped down as working Royals and moved to Montecito, where they are now raising their two children, who recently had their surnames changed.
Did you know that Meghan Markle has another connection to British history apart from marrying into the Royal Family? Indeed, her ancestors have some interesting connections with prominent British historical figures.
Meghan Meghan has ties with British history
As mentioned above, Meghan Markle’sties with Britain go beyond her marriage to Prince Harry. According to Mirror, Meghan Markle is distantly related to none other than wartime Prime Minister, Winston Churchill.
Meghan and Churchill are sixth cousins five times removed. As per Mirror, Meghan’s ancestor Sarah Howe - born Gilbert -married Zachariah Howe in the 17th century and his descendants include Winston Churchill.
So how did they end up with American blood? Zachariah was born in Essex in 1640 and moved to Lynn, Massachusetts, US, where he met and married Sarah Gilbert.
Mirror also reveals that Meghan is the fifth cousin 13 times removed of the famous playwright, William Shakespeare, however, they do not explain where the connection comes from.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are distantly related
Doing your family tree and researching your ancestry can lead to some surprising discoveries and can help you learn a lot about your family. Daily Mail did a genealogical investigation on Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle.
As it turns out, the two are very distantly related. According to Daily Mail’s investigation, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are distant cousins through a 15th-century ancestor of the Queen Mother - Queen Elizabeth II’s mother.
On Meghan’s side, the link comes from her father, Thomas Markle, on his maternal side. Meghan’s paternal grandmother Doris Markle has ancestors who came from Britain.
According to Daily Mail, Doris Markle’s ancestors can be traced to Englishman Ralph Bowes (15 generations from Meghan). Ralph Bowes’s family seat was Streatlam Castle. His granddaughter, Bridget Bowes, went on to marry John Hussey. John Hussey’s grandson, Christopher Husseymoved to America in 1632 and helped found Nantucket, Massachusetts, and eventually, generations later Meghan was born.
On Prince Harry’s side, the Bowes estates and Streatlam Castle were passed down through Bridget Bowes's uncle and continued to be passed down to the male heir. Eventually, the estates were passed down to Sir George Bowes, whose second wife birthed Mary Bowes.
In 1767, Mary Bowes married John Lyon, 9th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne. Eventually, John Lyon added Bowes to his name in order to inherit the Bowes estates, thus the Bowes-Lyon legacy started.
The Bowes-Lyon name may sound familiar. Indeed, 5 generations later, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyonmarried the Duke of York, who would become George VI. After King George VI died and her daughter, Elizabeth became Queen, she was known as the Queen Mother.
Read more:
⋙ Breaking Bad actor, Bob Odenkirk, finds out he is related to King Charles, here’s how
⋙ Queen Camilla is related to these famous singers and actors
⋙ King Charles rumoured to be related to notorious serial killer Jack the Ripper
Sources used:
Mirror: ‘Meghan Markle is related to Winston Churchill as Duchess' lofty ancestors revealed’
Daily Mail: ‘From Danny Dyer's royal blood line to Meghan Markle and Winston Churchill: Hollywood stars, actors and royals who have unlikely famous relatives - after it was revealed Taylor Swift and Emily Dickinson are distant cousins’
Daily Mail: ‘Harry and Meghan are cousins! Remarkable family tree dating back to 1480 reveals royal is related to his girlfriend’
