A test for the bride-to-be
We know the day and route. But does Harry’s new bride have what it takes to pass our (very light-hearted) ‘Britishness’ test?
to prepare for the British citizenship test she promised to take before her marriage, Meghan Markle will be busy now mugging up on the history, culture and habits of her new country.
It will certainly be a challenge for the 36-year- old Los Angeles-born actress who has lived most recently in Toronto, where the U.S. legal drama she starred in, Suits, was filmed.
on a visit to London in July 2016 to promote the series — before the Royal romance was even hinted at — she struggled with a series of questions about Britishness while appearing on the comedy channel, Dave.
She had no clue that the lion, unicorn and dragon are the national animals of England, Scotland and Wales. or that a ‘sidewalk’ is called a ‘pavement’ in Britain.
So how will she fare in the Home office’s £50 ‘Life In The UK’ test? It is a 45-minute multiple-choice exam all foreign national applicants must sit if they wish to become a British citizen.
Questions include British history — Harry’s granny, the Queen, is in there — cultural figures and UK law. A score of 75 per cent or more is a pass. Here, MARK MASON has set a light-hearted quiz that would really test Meghan’s knowledge of Harry’s homeland and his family — and probably be a lot more useful to her . . .
1. At your future father-in-law’s wedding to Diana, what sign was there that the bride may have had subconscious doubts about the marriage?
A: She got Charles’s middle names (Philip Arthur George) in the wrong order
B: As 28 million Britons watched the ceremony live on TV, she agonised before finally saying: ‘I do.’
C: After Charles uttered the sacred vow that he’d ‘forsake all others’, Diana muttered: ‘Particularly that Rottweiler, Camilla, with whom he recently spent a night on the Royal Train in sidings in Wiltshire.’ 2. The character you played in Suits was called Rachel, which, in fact, is your own real first name (you adopted your middle name Meghan as a stage name). Which Rachel was once married to British rock star Rod Stewart? A: Rachel Hunter (a New Zealand model) B: Rachel Riley (host of TV’s Countdown) C: Rachael Heyhoe-Flint (the former England women’s cricket captain)
3. You lived in Toronto while filming Suits. That city’s baseball team are the Blue Jays. Which English football team is also nicknamed after a bird?
A: Norwich City (The Canaries) — the nearest big team to the royals’ Christmas base, Sandringham House
B: Millwall (The Doves — on account of their fans’ docile reputation)
C: The English national team (The Turkeys)
4. Following the announcement of your engagement, you and Harry made your first public appearance in Nottingham. What is one of the East Midland city’s most famous creations?
A: HP Sauce — invented by shopkeeper Frederick Gibson Garton who devised the recipe in his back-street grocery in 1895
B: Marmite — the yeast extract first manufactured here in 1902
C: The Whoopee cushion — massproduced in the 1930s by the Nottingham Rubber Company (which also made contraceptives)
5. You share a birthday with the late Queen Mother (August 4). What was her favourite tipple?
A: A potent mix of two parts of the fortified wine Dubonnet to one part of gin — with her first drink of the day always being served at noon
B: Laphroaig whisky, from the Isle of Islay
C. A Harvey Wallbanger (vodka, orange juice, Galliano and an orange slice)
6. You worked as a scantily-clad hostess on the US-TV version of Britain’s Deal Or No Deal. The presenter of the British version was Noel Edmonds. What was the name of the character in his more famous BBC programme, Noel’s House Party?
A: Mr Blobby B: Ginger Harry C: Roland Rat
7. It has been suggested by genealogists at MyHeritage.com that you are related to Winston Churchill through a shared ancestor from Essex. How is the great British war leader linked with the county?
A: one of the parliamentary constituencies he represented was Woodford
B: He delivered his inspirational ‘We shall fight on the beaches’ speech at County Hall in Chelmsford
C: There’s a nightclub named Winston’s in his honour in Billericay
8. You will be baptised into the Church of England before your marriage. The leader of the Church is known as:
A: The Archbishop of Canterbury B: The Vicar of Dibley C: St Delia
9. Your wedding will take place at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle. Why George?
A: He’s England’s patron saint who slayed a dragon B: The christening of Harry’s nephew, Prince George, took place there in 2013 C: It was designed in 1725 by the father of George Washington, America’s first president 10. How did Windsor get its name?
A: It’s derived from the old English ‘riverbank with a windlass’ (an apparatus for lifting heavy weights)
B: After the site of England’s first wind-powered sawmill
C: It was originally part of Eton but many residents didn’t like being associated with the elite public school, Eton College (Harry’s alma mater)
11. What is the most expensive item of Prince William and Kate Middleton memorabilia for sale on eBay — at £2,000?
A: A slice of wedding cake in a specially commissioned tin
B: Royal Doulton William and Kate figurine
C: A gold coin from the Pacific island of Vanuatu, whose inhabitants believe Prince Philip is descended from one of their spirit ancestors
12. For whom was Buckingham Palace originally built?
A: The 1st Duke of Buckingham and Normanby — a favourite of Charles II until banished for courting his 17-year-old daughter Princess Anne
B: Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham — one of the main suspects in the murder of the Princes in the Tower in 1483
C: Dr Percival Buckingham, who was the first practitioner to work from the special doctor’s surgery which is one of the palace’s 775 rooms
13. You’ve left behind one of your dogs to come and live in Britain. The Queen famously owns which breed?
A: Corgi B: Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. C: German Shepherd (in recognition of her family’s Saxe-Coburg and Gotha ancestry)
14. The dog you have brought with you to Britain is a beagle called Guy which you rescued in LA. What is Britain’s most famous animal rescue home?
A: Battersea Dogs & Cats Home B: Balmoral C: Chequers
15. Your recently mothballed lifestyle website was called The Tig (after a wine called Tignanello). However, the ‘Tig’ best-known to the Royal Family is:
A: The blunder-prone Sloane Tiggy Legge-Bourke who was Harry’s nanny after his mother died
B: Prince Charles’s beloved pet Jack Russell terrier which died at Highgrove aged 18 in 2002
C: Tig Chumley — a pal of Prince Philip and ex-major in the Blues and Royals Household Cavalry
16. Your first husband was a film producer called Trevor. Which famous British Trevor used to read the News At Ten on ITV?
A: Trevor McDonald B: Trevor Brooking C: Hugh Trevor-Roper
17. You met Prince Harry on a blind date at a club in London’s Soho. The British version of the TV show Blind Date was presented by Cilla Black. What was her catchphrase?
A: ‘We’ll have a lorra lorra laffs.’ B: ‘Good game; good game!’ C: ‘I don’t beleeeeeeeeeeve it!!’
18. You once worked as a freelance calligrapher, doing correspondence for fashion house Dolce & Gabbana. Former prime minister’s wife Samantha Cameron has worked as creative director for one of Britain’s most chic stationery firms. What’s its name?
A: Smythson B: W.H. Smith C: Paperchase
19. Suits is watched by only about 300,000 viewers in Britain. However, one of the best-loved TV series about lawyers attracted millions. It is?
A: Silk (starring Maxine Peake and Rupert Penry-Jones) B: Attorney General (with Nigel Havers playing the government’s chief legal adviser) C: Rumpty of The Bailey
20. An American divorcée has married a high-profile Briton before, triggering a major constitutional crisis. Who did she wed?
A: Edward VIII B: Edward Heath C: Edward Scissorhands ANSWERS: The answer to every question is A. If Meghan Markle can get more than 15 right, she will be perfect princess material. Anything less, she needs to spend more time reading the Daily Mail.