Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are press favourites. They are so loved by the press that it led them to move to North America at the end of 2019 in an attempt to escape it. A few months later that move was followed by the announcement that they would step down as senior members of the Royal Family.
Discover our latest podcast
Since then, and even before, the two have been vehemently scrutinised and criticised. However, there is one thing that the critics cannot change: they remain royals and, as much as some are advocating for their titles to be removed and for Harry to be stripped from the line of succession, that will not happen.
Let’s have a look at Meghan Markle’s numerous titles, whether you like it or not.
Meghan Markle is a Princess
Yes, you read that right! Meghan Markle, now known as the Duchess of Sussex is technically a Princess. That is not the title that takes precedence which explains why it isn’t commonly used but the fact remains.
Meghan Markle is a Princess because when she married Prince Harry she became Princess Henry, Henry being Harry’s real name. As Newsweek explains, her Princess title simply follows the same logic as her other titles:
In the same way that Meghan became a duchess upon her marriage because her husband is a duke, so too did she legally become a princess because her husband is a prince.
Meghan Markle’s other titles
As is customary in the Royal Family, Meghan Markle doesn’t hold just one title. Not counting the Princess one which isn’t used, Meghan Markle holds three. As the Royal Family Website explains she is:
the Duchess of Sussex, Countess of Dumbarton and Baroness Kilkeel.
Duchess of Sussex
When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle got married, Queen Elizabeth II granted them new titles. Among them, the prestigious Dukedom of Sussex.
As Newsweek explains, the title of Duke of Sussex hadn’t been given out in a very long time. They explain that the last Duke of Sussex had been ‘Prince Augustus, a son of King George III and uncle to Queen Victoria.’
When Meghan Markle married Prince Harry she became the first ever Duchess of Sussex as Prince Augustus' marriage wasn’t recognised by the King (his wife was a commoner).
Countess of Dumbarton and Baroness Kilkeel
These are Meghan Markle’s Scottish and Northern Irish titles which were also given by the Queen when she married Prince Harry.
These titles are only used when the couple visits these countries.
These titles are causing quite a stir
As anything to do with the Sussexes, the articles reporting on Meghan Markle’s titles are flooded with comments from readers. Unfortunately, these comments are overall very negative.
The comments left by the readers of the Newsweek article simply highlight how some dislike the fact that Markle still holds her titles despite no longer being a working royal. However, these titles given out by the Queen were never tied to whether or not she stayed a working royal. They are simply tied to her marriage to Prince Harry, a member of the Royal Family.
Read more:
Sources:
Newsweek: Meghan Markle's Full Titles: Is She A Princess?
