Why Prince Harry’s wife cannot be called Princess Meghan

Meghan Markle became a full-time member of the royal family when she married Prince Harry in May 2018. Her Welsh gold wedding band came with a present from the Queen in the form of a new royal title.

The current Duchess of Sussex may have married a prince, but she will never be Princess Meghan unless the Queen breaks centuries old customs.

The harsh reality is that the former Hollywood actress needs “royal blood” to become a real Princess, according to British royal etiquette.

Margaret, the Queen's late sister, was allowed to use the title Princess Margaret due to her royal blood. Princess Anne is the Queen's daughter, and Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie are her granddaughters, via the male line.

Meghan, on the other hand, cannot refer to herself as Princess Meghan.

Her formal title is Princess Henry of Wales, which is derived from her husband's name.

Meghan is HRH Princess Henry of Wales, according to British peerage traditions, but she is not a British “blood” princess, so calling her Princess Meghan is wrong.

Catherine Middleton became Her Royal Highness, Princess William of Wales, when she and Prince William were proclaimed “man and woman” in 2011.

Why was Princess Diana given the title?

Diana was granted the title Princess of Wales, which is a courtesy title bestowed upon the wife of the Prince of Wales, in this instance, Prince Charles.

She was called Diana, Princess of Wales after they separated.

Since she was not of royal blood, she was never formally titled Princess Diana, but she was commonly recognised in the newspapers as Princess Diana, or Princess Di.

Still, as with so many aspects of British social etiquette, there is always an exception: the Queen's spouse Philip is a prince despite marrying into the royal family.

When he married Princess Elizabeth in 1947, King George VI of the United Kingdom made him “Duke of Edinburgh.”

While he was a prince in several European countries before marrying the Queen, he was given the title of Prince Philip in the United Kingdom by the Queen in February 1957, when she “accorded him the style and title of a Prince of the United Kingdom.”

Meghan is the Duchess of Sussex

The Queen traditionally bestows a royal dukedom on her sons—or, in the case of Prince William and Harry, her grandsons—on their wedding day.

The news was revealed by Kensington Palace on the morning of the royal wedding.

“The Queen has today been pleased to confer a Dukedom on Prince Henry of Wales. His titles will be Duke of Sussex, Earl of Dumbarton and Baron Kilkeel,” the document says.

“Prince Harry thus becomes His Royal Highness The Duke of Sussex, and Ms. Meghan Markle on marriage will become Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex.”