What Will Meghan Markle's Royal Title Be If She Marries Prince Harry?

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published 28 February 2017

Meghan Markle is living the rom-com dream and dating a royal (opens in new tab). The Suits star and Prince Harry are officially engaged (opens in new tab) after dating for over a year! (Do yourself a favor and check out her gorgeous ring (opens in new tab) immediately.) Which begs the question: what will Meghan Markle's official title be when she and Prince Harry tie the knot next spring? Here's what we know.

Well, yes, obviously. In 2017, this might seem like a ridiculous question—but Harry's royal status complicates things for two reasons: Markle is divorced and Catholic (according to People (opens in new tab), she attended the private Immaculate Heart Convent school in L.A.).

Markle divorced producer Trevor Engelson in 2013, but this isn't a huge obstacle because there's already precedent for royals marrying divorcées. (Prince Charles and his wife Camilla Parker Bowles were both divorced before their marriage in 2005.)

Meanwhile, the concern about Markle's faith stems from an archaic rule (opens in new tab) set forth in George III's Royal Marriages Act of 1772, which prohibited senior members of the royal family from marrying Catholics. In 2015, new rules (opens in new tab) went into effect under the Succession to the Crown Act which allows members of the royal family to marry Catholics. Phew.

The Queen will absolutely have a say in the matter.

Even though the supposed obstacles to Markle and Harry's potential marriage are easily navigated from a legal standpoint, Queen Elizabeth will still have to sign off on the union or Harry could lose his place in the line of succession.

2015's Succession to the Crown Act placed limits on an old rule from the Royal Marriages Act of 1772, which gave the monarch the right to approve marriages of all distant royal relations. Under the new rules, only the first six in line for the throne require the monarch's consent to marry—Prince Harry is currently fifth in line, meaning he would need his grandmother's permission to marry Markle.

So, what will Markle's title be?

According to Royal Central (opens in new tab), in the United Kingdom wives automatically take their husband's title, meaning Markle will be HRH Princess Henry of Wales (admittedly a little weird). However, she will not be Princess Meghan, since "princess" is a title that you have to be born into under the British monarchy (which is why Kate Middleton is Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge—not Princess Kate).

Royal Historian Marlene Koenig explains that like William, Harry will likely be made a Duke—therefore his wife will be a Duchess.

"Most likely, he will be created a Duke. Sussex is available so [Markle] would be HRH the Duchess of Sussex. Her rank would be a princess by marriage of the United Kingdom, Great Britain, and Northern Ireland," Koenig said (opens in new tab).

Welp, that settles that! Mark your calendar for spring 2018 and get ready for another royal wedding 😘.

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.