Could Meghan Markle ever be queen?

Short answer: It's pretty unlikely

Copyright: Getty Images

Meghan Markle is a lot of things: Prince Harry’s fiancee, an American actress, a divorcee, a foodie and a former lifestyle blogger.

Could she ever add “queen" to the list?

Recommended Videos



Well, we’ll break it all down for you, but here’s the short answer: It’s pretty unlikely.

Here’s the situation: Markle obviously will be tied to Prince Harry once she’s officially welcomed into the British royal family, and it'll be at that time that she'll get a “branch,” so to speak, on the family tree.

Related: Breaking down the royal family tree

Prince Harry sits sixth in line for the throne, behind the following relatives: Prince Charles; Prince William and William’s three children: George, Charlotte and Louis.

So, Prince William and his wife, who are also known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, would have to move out of the picture, along with their children, for Harry to have a shot at the crown. Oh, not to mention the fact that William and Kate's children are ages 4, 3 and a newborn. It doesn’t seem too likely that Prince William’s family would all disappear. And certainly no one’s rooting for that scenario!

But back to the question at hand: If Prince Harry were to take the throne, by some weird twist of fate, then Markle would take the female form of her husband’s title, which would be “queen.” Her status as an American and a divorcee wouldn’t matter.

And no, we aren't being petty by bringing up the whole “divorced” thing. According to the history books, King Edward VIII had to abdicate from the throne in order to marry Wallis Simpson, who had been divorced.

Anyway, only under those strange aforementioned circumstances would Markle be queen. And the title wouldn’t be in a ruling sense, but would be just a formal title. Most likely, Markle will be called the Duchess of Sussex.

This is a similar case when you consider Prince Charles' wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, who will become queen once he takes the throne.

If Prince Harry and Markle choose to have children, those kids would displace Prince Andrew, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie in line for the throne.

And now you know!