Rhiannon Hendricks
Meghan Markle married Prince Harry in May 2018, officially becoming a member of the royal family. Markle's marriage to Prince Harry, however, does not make her a princess. Only women born into the royal family, like Princess Charlotte, hold that title. Instead, Markle is a duchess, as Harry was granted a dukedom on their wedding day. Markle's official title is Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex, and she is the first woman to be known by this name. While Markle will never be a princess in her own right, she can still be referred to as a princess in reference to her husband, i.e., HRH Princess Henry of Wales.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Official Title | Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex |
| Unofficial Title | Princess Meghan, Princess Henry of Wales |
| Surname | Mountbatten-Windsor |
| Children's Titles | Lords and Ladies, unless Queen Elizabeth issues a Letters Patent |
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What You'll Learn
- Meghan Markle will not be Princess Meghan
- Meghan's official title will be Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex
- Meghan will be a princess by marriage, but not in her own right
- Meghan will take on Harry's name, Mountbatten-Windsor, but royals rarely use surnames
- Meghan's children will be lords and ladies, not princes and princesses
Meghan Markle will not be Princess Meghan
Meghan Markle's marriage to Prince Harry does not make her a princess. Only women born into the royal family, like Princess Charlotte, hold that title. Instead, Meghan is a duchess. Harry was granted a dukedom on their wedding day, as is tradition. Meghan's official title is Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Sussex.
While Meghan will be a princess of the U.K. by marriage, she won't be given an official princess title. If the Queen had not granted Harry a dukedom, Meghan would have been known as Princess Henry of Wales. However, this is not the case, and she will be known by her husband's new title, mirroring Kate's title of Duchess of Cambridge.
It is important to note that Meghan will never be a princess in her own right, but she can still be referred to as a princess in reference to her husband, i.e., HRH Princess Henry of Wales. This is similar to how Princess Michael of Kent is addressed.
There was much speculation about what Meghan's title would be before the wedding, with some suggesting she would be Princess Meghan. However, the Queen's decision to grant Harry a dukedom confirmed that Meghan would become a duchess, just like Kate.
While Meghan will not be officially known as Princess Meghan, she has still become a member of the royal family and will be granted all the privileges and responsibilities that come with that title.
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Meghan's official title will be Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex
Meghan Markle's marriage to Prince Harry does not make her a princess, as only women born into the royal family, such as Princess Charlotte, hold that title. Instead, Meghan is now a duchess, as per tradition, as Harry was granted a dukedom on their wedding day. Meghan's official title is Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex, and she will never be a princess in her own right, although she may still be referred to by the royal title in reference to her husband, i.e., HRH Princess Henry of Wales.
Prince Harry's formal name is Henry Charles Albert David, and he was born into the House of Windsor. His surname is Mountbatten-Windsor, as is the case for all royals descended from Queen Elizabeth II through the male line. However, last names are typically only used by members of the royal family without titles, so it's unlikely that Meghan will use this surname often.
Following the royal wedding in 2011, when Kate Middleton married Prince William, it was assumed that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry would be granted new royal titles at their wedding ceremony. This is because it is tradition that the Queen grants her sons and grandsons a royal dukedom on their wedding day, which, in turn, gives their wives the title of Duchess. Kate Middleton is mainly referred to by her maiden name or the title she was given by Queen Elizabeth at her wedding, Duchess of Cambridge.
Meghan will be known as Duchess of Sussex, the dukedom Prince Harry was granted. If Harry and Meghan have children, they will not be princes and princesses unless Queen Elizabeth issues a Letters Patent declaring otherwise. This is due to a 1917 Letters Patent issued by King George V, which limited the titles of a sovereign's grandchildren.
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Meghan will be a princess by marriage, but not in her own right
Although Meghan Markle married into royalty, her official title is not Princess Meghan. Instead, she is Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex. This is because, in the UK, only women born into the royal family, like Princess Charlotte, are officially given the title of princess. However, she may still be referred to as a princess by virtue of her marriage to a prince. For example, she could be called HRH Princess Henry of Wales, as Henry is Prince Harry's first name.
According to tradition, the Queen grants her male relatives royal dukedoms on their wedding day, which, in turn, grants their wives the title of duchess. When Prince William married Kate Middleton, he was granted the Dukedom of Cambridge, which made Kate the Duchess of Cambridge. Similarly, when Prince Harry married Meghan Markle, he was granted the Dukedom of Sussex, which made Meghan the Duchess of Sussex.
It is worth noting that, despite being a princess by marriage, Meghan will not be addressed as "Princess Meghan" because that title is reserved for women born into the royal family. Instead, she will be referred to as "Duchess of Sussex", mirroring Kate's title of "Duchess of Cambridge". This is in keeping with royal tradition, where members of the royal family are typically known only by their first names and do not use a surname.
While Meghan will not be an official princess in her own right, her children with Prince Harry could still be granted the titles of prince and princess. Initially, it was believed that only Prince William's oldest son, Prince George, was guaranteed the title of prince among the Queen's great-grandchildren. However, when Kate was pregnant with Princess Charlotte, the Queen issued a new Letters Patent stating that all children of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales would receive the title of prince or princess. The Queen could choose to do the same for Harry and Meghan's children.
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Meghan will take on Harry's name, Mountbatten-Windsor, but royals rarely use surnames
Meghan Markle's Title After Her Wedding to Prince Harry
Meghan Markle will take on her husband Prince Harry's name, Mountbatten-Windsor, but royals rarely use surnames. Instead, she will be known as Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex, a title granted by Queen Elizabeth II.
Although Meghan will be a princess of the U.K. by marriage, she will not be given an official princess title as only women born into the royal family, like Princess Charlotte, hold that title. However, she may still be referred to as HRH Princess Henry of Wales, in reference to her husband.
Following royal protocol, it is expected that Prince Harry will be granted a dukedom on his wedding day, as is tradition for male members of the royal family. The most likely title is Duke of Sussex, which has been vacant since the 19th century. This would make Meghan the Duchess of Sussex, mirroring Kate Middleton's title of Duchess of Cambridge.
It is worth noting that despite having a surname, members of the royal family are typically only known by their first names and titles. As a result, it is unlikely that Meghan will be frequently addressed by the name Mountbatten-Windsor.
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Meghan's children will be lords and ladies, not princes and princesses
On her wedding day, Meghan Markle became Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Sussex. Her husband, Prince Harry, was granted the dukedom on their wedding day, as is tradition. Although Meghan is a princess of the U.K. by marriage, she will not be given an official princess title. Instead, she may be referred to by the royal title in reference to her husband, i.e., HRH Princess Henry of Wales.
According to the 1917 Letters Patent issued by King George V, only the first male grandchild of the male heir is entitled to the title of prince or princess. This means that Meghan and Harry's children, should they have any while Elizabeth II is on the throne, will not be HRHs or princes or princesses, but will be known as Lord or Lady (forename) Mountbatten-Windsor. However, the Queen could issue a new Letters Patent to change this, just as she did for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's children.
Royal Expert Kelly Lynch confirmed that "Meghan and Harry's children will be Lords and Ladies, according to the Letters Patent George V issued in 1917." However, Lynch also pointed out the oddity of this rule, considering that Meghan and Harry's children will be the grandchildren of the heir to the throne, who will then become king. Therefore, when the Queen passes away, all of her great-grandchildren will become grandchildren of the new monarch, King Charles III, and will be known as princes and princesses.
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Frequently asked questions
Meghan Markle's official title after her wedding to Prince Harry is Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex.
Only women who are born into the royal family officially hold the title of princess. Meghan is therefore unlikely to be referred to as Princess Meghan. However, she can still technically be referred to as Princess Henry of Wales in reference to her husband.
As a royal, Meghan's surname will be Mountbatten-Windsor, but royals are usually known only by their first names.
The Queen gave Meghan the title of Duchess of Sussex after her wedding to Prince Harry.
Meghan made it clear that she will not voluntarily surrender the Sussex title. She stated that she loves that she shares the name with her children.
