Meghan tipped to become HRH Duchess of Sussex after wedding
MEGHAN MARKLE is tipped to become the first Duchess of Sussex when she marries Prince Harry next year.
By tradition, male members of the Royal family receive a title from the monarch on their wedding day, and the vacant title Duke of Sussex is regarded as the most likely choice for the Prince.
The only previous Duke of Sussex was married twice, but neither marriage was approved by his father, George III, meaning they were considered unlawful. Therefore Ms Markle would be the first woman entitled to use the title HRH The Duchess of Sussex.
The Queen is expected to choose a Dukedom for her grandson from titles that are currently suspended, and other options include the dukedoms of Clarence, Connaught, Windsor, Albany and Cumberland and Teviotdale.
However, many of them have inauspicious histories that would almost certainly rule them out.
Charles Kidd, the editor of Debrett’s Peerage & Baronetage, said he believed the Queen would choose the Dukedom of Sussex for Prince Harry, which was previously held by George III’S sixth son, Augustus Frederick.
He said: “They’re quite limited in the titles that are available. The Duke of Sussex is the front-runner.”
Like Prince Harry, the previous Duke of Sussex lived at Kensington Palace, and he also married for love, rather than choosing brides who fitted the traditional royal mould.
Prince Augustus Frederick was not given consent by his father, King George III, to marry his first wife Lady Augusta Murray, as she was considered to be from too low a social rank.
The Prince married her anyway, in secret in Rome in 1793, and then again in England when they returned. But without the King’s permission, the marriage contravened the Royal Marriages Act 1772 and was annulled in 1794. The couple continued to live as man and wife and had two children before they eventually separated.
In 1831, the Prince, who had been made Duke of Sussex in 1801, married his second wife, Lady Cecilia Letitia
Gore, a childless widow. Once again, the King did not give his blessing, and the marriage was considered unlawful, meaning Lady Cecilia could not use the title and was banned from royal court.
In 1840, Queen Victoria took pity on Lady Cecilia, giving her the title Duchess of Inverness in her own right, meaning she could finally attend court.
However, because the Duke’s children were considered illegitimate in law, his title died with him in 1843.
The Dukedom of Sussex was regarded as the most likely to be given to Prince Edward, but the Queen revived the ancient Earldom of Wessex, last used before the Norman Conquest.
Previous Dukes of Clarence have included George Plantagenet, brother of Edward IV, who forfeited the title in 1478 after being convicted of treason.
Prince Albert Victor, the Queen’s great-uncle, was known as Duke of Clarence and Avondale. He died aged 28, meaning his brother George V, the Queen’s grandfather, became king.
The Duke’s life was tainted by scandal, including rumours that he was a client at a homosexual brothel. After his death he was even suspected of being Jack the Ripper, though the theory has since been disproved.
The Dukedom of Windsor was last used by Edward VIII after he abdicated in order to marry Wallis Simpson who was, like Ms Markle, an American divorcee. His Nazi sympathies are likely to rule out the title for good. It is possible that Prince Harry could turn down a title, meaning his wife would be known as HRH Princess Henry of Wales. However Prince Harry is extremely close to his grandmother and is unlikely to reject her offer.
The couple could be given several titles: the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are also known as Earl and Countess of Strathearn and Baron and Baroness Carrickfergus, which they use when they are in Scotland and Northern Ireland respectively.
Ms Markle’s full name is Rachel Meghan Markle, but she was named as Meghan in Buckingham Palace’s announcement of the engagement, meaning she is unlikely to revert to Rachel when she is married.