Not content to merely squawk about private jets and vacations, the British tabloid press would also like to snipe about how the Duchess of Sussex has yet to receive any kind of honorary military appointment. It’s actually an interesting thing to note, in my opinion. Even though The Sun frames the story as “the Queen obviously does not like Meghan, for reasons,” I did find myself wondering if there is a reason why Meghan hasn’t received some kind of honorary military appointment as of yet.
When Meghan Markle married Prince Harry last year, The Queen went to great lengths to make the former Suits actress feel welcome in the Royal Family. Last week, Fabulous Digital exclusively revealed that Her Majesty has made an “unusual effort” to forge a close relationship with the Duchess of Sussex. However, it now appears that there is one way Meghan is lagging behind other senior women in the Royal Family – in that she still doesn’t have an honorary military appointment.
In comparison to Kate Middleton, Camilla Parker Bowles, and Princess Anne who each been granted an RAF honour, Meghan has yet to receive a military title. In 2015, Meghan’s sister-in-law Kate was made an Honorary Air Commandant of the RAF Air Cadets by Prince Philip. The Duchess of Cornwall holds a number of honorary military appointments. Most notably, Camilla is a patron of the Desert Rats Association as a tribute to her late father who was an officer in the British Army. Princess Anne also holds an impressive 27 military appointments and, as a result, rides alongside her brothers Prince Charles and Andrew at the Trooping the Colour as the Colonel-in-Chief of the Blues and Royals. What’s more, Princess Diana was also granted a number of military honours and was a patron of the Princess of Wales’ Regiment.
The reason Meghan has yet to earn a military appointment could be because she is currently on maternity leave, having welcomed baby Archie in May. However, Meghan’s interests mainly revolve around environmentalism, women’s rights and social issues – as highlighted by her royal patronages Smart Works, the National Theatre, the Association of Commonwealth Universities, and animal charity Mayhew. Alternatively, the Duchess of Sussex does not currently have a British citizenship which could be another reason which she has yet to gain a honorary position in the British Armed Forces.
I think the answer is “Meghan’s not a British citizen yet” AND “Meghan hasn’t even been married a year and a half.” Kate only got her first honorary military assignment in (December) 2015, as the Sun notes – that means Kate had been married more than four years before she got anything, and if I remember correctly, the Queen basically had to force the honour on Kate over the Christmas holiday. Oh, I found our old coverage – yes, at the Buckingham Palace Christmas lunch, the Queen bum-rushed Kate and forced her to take the Air Cadet patronage, lmao. My guess is that Meghan will get a military patronage within the next year, if not by the end of this year.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Avalon Red.
She’s not a British citizen yet. She won’t get a damehood until then either.
British press doing what they do best as usual i.e. throwing mud at Meg.
Members of the royal family don’t get damehoods!
Exactly! You won’t give a military patronage to someone who isn’t a citizen of that country, it wouldn’t make sense! It shouldn’t be a big story and it has nothing to do with whether QEII like Meghan or not, it’s just that as a non-Brit, she can’t be the patron of a military unit
Technically she could because the Queen of Denmark is the Colonel in Chief of a British Army regiment but then she is also something like 220th in line to the British throne anyway. (more interestingly the King of Norway is something like 62nd in line, so not far off).
King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands is around 1000th in line to the British Throne too. Harewood/Lascelles, Romanian, Yugoslavian, Habsburgs, Swedish royals. Many of them are in the line.
Did Fergie have any? Comparisons to her are likely more apt than others as they were both married to second sons.
I forgot she didn’t become a British citizen. Is she going to? For some reason I thought she “had to”
I think she is working toward it, but it just takes time.
My understanding is they’re doing it by the book, i.e. slowly and bureaucraticly, rather than taking the royal express.
Agreed. I figure it’s simply because she isn’t a citizen of the UK yet.
Good grief. She’s just been in for about a year and had a baby within that time. And if she’s not yet a citizen, well yeah. Plus, its not like she’s the future Queen Consort so everyone should just chill 🤣
“Meghan’s interests mainly revolve around environmentalism”. She haven’t said anything about the environment issues.
Thank you very much.
This is a woman that complained about Harry turning off all the lights when leaving a room, guess by now she is use to it, see Harry doing his best to save fossil fuel on one hand.
I thought it was Harry and William complaining about their dad always turning the lights off as he left the room? When did you read about Meghan doing this? It’s kind of funny, poor Harry.
They were some where??? I can’t remember where not an interview, and Harry was talking about subconsciously he didn’t realized he picked up so much from his father and Meghan said he is always turning off the lights, and she is not use to that.
Kate didn’t get one for like 4 years, why would Meghan not having one in less than 2 years mean anything? another article to take the heat off Andrew perhaps?
Perhaps she wouldn’t want to have a military patronage for an force in another country to that of her birth?
yeah it makes no sense why she’d get one less than 2 years after she married into the family, especially since it was nearly 5 till Kate got one.
I don’t understand this designation (I am American). What does it have to do with the causes they support? Why does it seem like Kate was forced to accept the honor?
@Abby, Fellow Yank here, I am lost too!
Isn’t becoming a British citizen a 3 or 5 year process?
It sure is, at the very least. I assume she’d be applying as the spouse of a British citizen, so she could probably get it in about 3 years, but it is not going to be sooner than that. It’s a long, difficult process.
But when they got engaged, the story was her citizenship was supposed to be fast tracked. And she was supposed to give up her American citizenship. Not sure what the story is now.
That was the tumblr story. The royals won’t fast track her citizenship, they have to be seen to do it by the book.
You may be thinking of her visa, which she did indeed fast-track. Anyone can pay for priority service when applying for a visa, though.
Clickbait
LOL at the British media, pissed yet again that they missed the Sussexs leaving England, had to pick up the story from Spanish media, they were clucking that after the embarrassment of the baby shower Meghan was going to have a low key birthday. Buck Palace did say she was having a private birthday, not where.
Wonder what happened to that birthday cake from the Bakery?
Then the Spanish dropped the story a week after they arrived back in England and the British Media scrambled for something to criticized, they’re always a day late and a Pound short.
“they’re always a day late and a Pound short.”…….l love it! 😆
I guess the uk press really doesn’t want to talk about Pedo Andy!
Oh Sun! You’re really reaching for negative Meghan stories these days. This is so not an issue and yet you attempt to make it sinister. Too bad legitimate news like a Prince’s criminal activity, just isn’t as interesting as a non Meghan story for your misogynistic and racist readership.
If and when Meghan does get a military patronage it will make the loons on DM lose their heads…😁. I wonder if there are any regiments with an American or Commonwealth connection? The Queen is very good at identifying stuff like this, and since nothing is ever left to chance, if the Duchess of Sussex is indeed to get a military patronage, l would bet my bottom dollar it has already been identified.
I have a problem with The Sun implying that because Meghan’s focused on women’s issues she wouldn’t be interested in military affairs. That sentence perpetuates the pervasive, harmful idea that military is male-only. Women serve in the military too! Maybe it irks me more because my focus in public health is trying to raise the profile of homeless female veterans in the US, and it’s discouraging how invisible they remain, despite being the fastest growing segment of the homeless veteran population.
I didn’t know about the homeless female Veterans.
The Sun newspaper knows darn well that Meghan visited US troops with USO, their is even video, can’t remember the the Singer that was performing on stage, a couple of showbiz folks were also on stage.
Which of her current patronages is linked to the environment?
They are embarrassing. Must have quota for daily Meghan stories which is why there is so much garbage as they clearly don’t have decent sources.
It is definitely the citizenship issue.