Prince’s fiancee faces daunting citizenship exam

LONDON — What did the Statute of Rhuddlan in 1284 lay the basis for? Who or what is Vindolanda?

These and other rather esoteric questions are what Meghan Markle, the U.S. actress recently engaged to Prince Harry, Queen Elizabeth II’s grandson and the fifth in line to the throne, will have to master to become a British citizen.

Most Britons find them almost impossible to answer.

Markle, who was raised in Los Angeles, plans to seek British citizenship after she marries Harry, Kensington Palace confirmed. It is a lengthy process that culminates in a torturous citizenship test that costs about $65 and is typically flunked by one-third to half of the applicants.

The announcement prompted some British news outlets to pounce on her apparent ignorance of “Britishisms” on a television show last year.

“She only managed to get a measly four out of 15 questions about Britain right,” The Mirror, a tabloid, said disapprovingly, adding that she did not know the British word for “sidewalk” and committed a cultural faux pas by venturing that Vegemite is more popular than Marmite. (The word is “pavement,” and Marmite, a yeasty paste spread for bread, is a national treasure. Vegemite is the Australian equivalent.)

The citizenship exam is required for anyone settling in the country or seeking to become a citizen. Applicants must have been living continuously in Britain for at least five years and must pay an application fee of about 1,200 pounds — that’s $1,600.

Takers of the exam have 45 minutes to answer 24 multiple-choice questions about British traditions, customs and history, all of which are based on information in an official handbook published by the Home Office.

The answers to those tough questions: Vindolanda was a Roman fort just south of Hadrian’s Wall in northern England. The Statute of Rhuddlan led to the annexation of Wales to England.