No baby princes or princesses for just-engaged Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

If Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were to become parents – way down the track, when they are ready, if that’s what they want, if they can, it’s up to them! – their children may NOT be little princes or princesses, The Independent reports.

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His Royal Highness Prince Henry of Wales and Ms. Meghan Markle are engaged to be married. The Prince of Wales made this announcement this morning: His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales is delighted to announce the engagement of Prince Harry to Ms. Meghan Markle. The wedding will take place in Spring 2018. Further details about the wedding day will be announced in due course. His Royal Highness and Ms. Markle became engaged in London earlier this month. Prince Harry has informed Her Majesty, The Queen and other close members of his family. Prince Harry has also sought and received the blessing of Ms. Markle's parents. The couple will live in Nottingham Cottage at Kensington Palace.

A post shared by Kensington Palace (@kensingtonroyal) on Nov 27, 2017 at 2:01am PST

Marry Harry

Many of us were very delighted to hear the official announcement of Harry and Meghan’s engagement – last night Australian time.

The pair have been together for 18 months and Meghan is an excellent, relatable addition to the royal family. She’s a very modern royal-to-be, with the UK’s The Telegraph predicting she’ll be given The Duchess of Sussex title – although she will technically be a princess once she marries Harry.

Titles are pretty interesting when it comes to this royal lot.

For instance, while Harry’s brother, Prince William, is dad to Prince George and Princess Charlotte with wife The Duchess of Cambridge (Kate, to us!), Harry’s future children will not be princes or princesses. They will be little lords and ladies instead.

These differing titles are all thanks to Harry’s great-great-grandfather – King George V – who issued a Letters Patent in 1917 limiting the usage of royal titles. 

“…the grandchildren of the sons of any such Sovereign in the direct male line (save only the eldest living son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales) shall have and enjoy in all occasions the style and title enjoyed by the children of Dukes of these Our Realms,” King George V decreed.

The name game

This means that while the Queen is still on the throne, any potential future children of Meghan and Harry will take the name/s – Lord or Lady (given name) Mountbatten-Windsor UNLESS the Queen steps in and writes her own Letters Patent, dubbing them Prince/Princess instead.

The Queen in fact DID do this, for Prince William and Duchess Kate’s kids, because while George was always entitled to be a Prince, Charlotte apparently would have had the less matchy-matchy title of Lady Charlotte Mounbatten-Windsor.

The (wonderful) Queen levelled up the playing field and made Charlotte a princess, and royal watchers are wondering if she will do the same, should Harry and Meghan decide to become parents.

 

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Congratulations Prince Harry and Ms. Meghan Markle on their engagement! His Royal Highness and Ms. Markle this afternoon visited Kensington Palace’s Sunken Garden for a photocall to mark the happy news.

A post shared by Kensington Palace (@kensingtonroyal) on Nov 27, 2017 at 6:42am PST

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His Royal Highness Prince Harry and Ms. Meghan Markle are "thrilled and happy" to be engaged. Here they appear at a photocall at Kensington Palace Gardens this afternoon, on the day their engagement is announced.

A post shared by Kensington Palace (@kensingtonroyal) on Nov 27, 2017 at 8:24am PST

Accomplished and compassionate

Before all this royal kerfuffle, Megan starred in the hugely successful series Suits for 8 years, and is a global ambassador for World Vision. She’s an advocate for the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women and has worked with the One Young World too.

She recently shut down her lifestyle website, The Tig, presumably to concentrate on bigger things. She’s also hung up her acting shoes for good and will now focus on the humanitarian work she’s always loved so much.

Meghan and her first husband, actor and producer Trevor Engelson, divorced in 2013. She’s the daughter of a German/Dutch/English/Irish/Scottish lighting director dad and an African-American psychotherapist mum – and apparently grew up in the acting industry, visiting her dad on the set of Married With Children, where he worked.

We’re excited to see where this amazing new role takes her, with the pair set to marry in spring 2018. Huge congratulations to Harry and Meghan on their lovely news.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BFkysJEGBCX/?taken-by=meghanmarkle

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More Meghan

Throwback snaps with her mum and dad

https://www.instagram.com/p/2hQ4EdmBLr/?taken-by=meghanmarkle 

https://www.instagram.com/p/BG2Ev79GBH3/?hl=en&taken-by=meghanmarkle

And speaking of titles, Meghan takes her (fairy) godmother title very seriously …

https://www.instagram.com/p/7OkvOCGBOK/?taken-by=meghanmarkle

https://www.instagram.com/p/jgOFvUGBG1/?taken-by=meghanmarkle

As she does her pup-mother one (there are literally one million pics of her dogs – Bogart and Guy – on her Instagram!)

https://www.instagram.com/p/BG-TvpBGBOj/?taken-by=meghanmarkle

https://www.instagram.com/p/BEh-sepmBAj/?hl=en&taken-by=meghanmarkle

https://www.instagram.com/p/BHsvYCDgNmW/?hl=en&taken-by=meghanmarkle

https://www.instagram.com/p/BCN2mt1mBL4/?hl=en&taken-by=meghanmarkle

https://www.instagram.com/p/BIGu1Gjg6BR/?hl=en&taken-by=meghanmarkle

Hanging out with stylist Jess Mulroney’s daughter is high on the agenda, as well …

https://www.instagram.com/p/BFKTdTXmBCg/?taken-by=meghanmarkle

https://www.instagram.com/p/BIk_dGNAWBT/?hl=en&taken-by=meghanmarkle

https://www.instagram.com/p/BIlFoD5AbWa/?hl=en&taken-by=meghanmarkle

https://www.instagram.com/p/BLReMtCAkBG/?hl=en&taken-by=meghanmarkle

I mean. So cute.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BItjRXcg3nb/?hl=en&taken-by=meghanmarkle