To all the ladies out there, I’m sorry. Your daydreams of getting married to a handsome, rich and royal ginger-head are about to be crushed. Prince Henry of Wales aka Prince Harry aka the best looking member of the British royal family and fifth in line for the British crown has just announced his engagement to a certain Meghan Markle.
Who is she?
Meghan Markle is a TV actress, popularly known for her portrayal of Rachel Zane on the ‘legal drama’ Suits. She has also had a few minor roles of shows such as Castle and 90210 as well as a few, unremarkable roles in films such as Get Him To The Greek.
History in the Making
But, this engagement isn’t an ordinary one. This isn’t just another one of those celebrity weddings that will grab a lot of newspaper headlines and be forgotten within a week. No. Far from it. It’s almost historic. Probably more so than the last royal wedding, that of Prince William and Catherine.
Why so?
Because this is that rare case of a Royal marrying a commoner. Not just any commoner. But, a commoner who is a TV and film actress. A commoner who has a mixed ancestry and is a divorcee. And, she is American. Could any one of us have imagined that a hundred, fifty, twenty or even ten years ago?
The engagement announcement is historic on many levels.
First of all, this will be the first time a member of the British royal family will be marrying a Catholic, a no-no until a few years ago. The Queen of England, is not only the constitutional monarch of the United Kingdom and its dominions but, also happens to be the head of the Church of England, the Protestant branch of the church King Henry VIII.
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Fortunately, the monarchy has in recent years supported the cause to be the defender of faiths, rather than just the Protestant faith, including relaxing an archaic rule that said that the children of an heir if raised Catholic, shall not inherit the throne.
Secondly, Meghan Markle is an American divorcee. An American Divorcee. The last time an American divorcee caught the eye of the British Royalty, King Edward VIII had to abdicate his throne.
Like Wallis Simpson before her, Meghan Markle is a divorcee, having married and divorced a music producer by the name of Trevor Engelson a few years ago.
And sure, the family has relaxed its views on divorce in the last few decades (After all, Prince Charles divorced Diana to marry Camilla, another divorcee) but, the very fact that the royal family has so openly embraced Meghan seems to be a step in the right direction. Surely, there will be no such furore as was seen after the divorces of Charles-Diana or Princess Anne.
Finally, she is a popular TV and film actress. Simply put, she is a commoner that may arguably be more famous than any other member of the royal family. In all probability, she won’t be returning to acting after marriage (No, not even for Suits. Sorry, you pitiable, deluded Suits fans). But, considering her popularity and her extensive charitable and humanitarian work, the royal family would be foolish to not cash in on her work to do some PR of its own. After all, unlike other monarchs, the Queen and her family have been able to adapt with changing times. It’s time the monarchy replaced its public image with the young faces of William, Catherine, Harry and Meghan.
So, Prince Harry and Princess Meghan, right?
No, not quite. Like William before him, Harry is all set to be elevated to be a Duke after marriage. Ergo, Meghan Markle like Catherine before her, will become Duchess by marriage. Not princess. This is because the title of prince or princess in Great Britain has to do with lineage, not with the person being married to.
There will be no Princess Meghan Markle. There will be Duchess Meghan Markle though. Americans can take some pride in that. So can Suits fans. Something to be happy about anyway.
Image Sources: Google Images
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