Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Scottish Titles

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 10 August 2019

We know Prince Harry and Meghan Markle by their official royal titles: The Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Apparently though, those titles don't carry over everywhere in the world—or even everywhere in the United Kingdom.

When Harry and Meghan visit the Queen at her fave vacation spot, Balmoral Castle, in Scotland this summer, for example, they'll be known as the Earl and Countess of Dumbarton.

Yes, seriously.

According to The Sun, the couple were bestowed their Scottish titles when they tied the knot back in 2018, but haven't actually had a chance to visit Dumbarton yet, in spite of their earldom there.

"Whilst in Scotland, Harry and Meghan are known as the Earl and Countess of Dumbarton," a royal source told the paper, and clearly, any source who uses "whilst" in conversation has to know their stuff, right?

Being named Earl of Dumbarton is rare, according to The Sun, and Harry is only the third Earl the small town has ever had and the title hadn't been used for 300 years before the Queen bestowed it on Harry.

"It’s understood that Harry and Meghan have been invited by the Lord Lieutenant [Michael Gregory OBE] but they have yet to accept it," a royal source told the Daily Record. "A visit from them would no doubt give the area a boost."

Time to set some alerts for Dumbarton Royal, right?

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Kayleigh Roberts is a freelance writer and editor with more than 10 years of professional experience. Her byline has appeared in Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, The Atlantic, Allure, Entertainment Weekly, MTV, Bustle, Refinery29, Girls’ Life Magazine, Just Jared, and Tiger Beat, among other publications. She's a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.