Maybe we were overthinking Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s titles. Maybe the obvious choice was always going to be the right choice. For months, it felt like the “Duke and Duchess of Sussex” were the odds-on favorites for Meg and Harry’s new titles. Those titles were so popular that I think people just stopped believing they would happen. But now they have happened: the Queen has declared Harry and Meg to be the Sussexes. Sussexy!
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.
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.
Earl of Dumbarton is Harry’s Scottish title and Baron Kilkeel is the North Irish title, meaning that when Meghan and Harry visit Scotland or Northern Ireland, they will be called and referred to by those titles. Meghan seems like a Baroness Kilkeel, honestly. Anyway, I have to give some props to the Queen for selecting “fan favorite” titles for Meg and Harry, given that they ARE fan favorites. It will take some getting used to though, referring to Meg as the Duchess of Sussex.
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I don’t like it, the jokes and puns are writting themselves …. I would have prefered Clarence… But the Queen is the queen!.
I prefer to see it as the Duchess of Success or the Duchess of Sexy 🙂
It sounds so much like the start of a naughty limerick. There once was a success of Sussex…..
If you Google the last Duke of Clarence, you see why the Queen wisely bypassed that one.
Not at my favorite. Oh well, she’ll be a Duchess.
I don’t like it but whatever I’m soooo excited. It’s funny here in France to hear many tv commentators call her Meghan Merkle like the German Chancellor. Anyway, I wish them all the happiness in the world.
Eh. Like you said we were all probably overthinking it, but Duchess of Sussex is not my favorite.
Good weather today. Even God smiles !.
yay.
Love the choice of Sussex. There’s never a Duchess of Sussex before. And the last Duke of Sussex helped abolish slavery. And a big fan of the choice of Kilkeel.
Im with you Lainey. The title has such rich positive history attached to it in regards to the last holder. It must have been chosen to reflect both the couples interests and and as a nod to Meghan’s heritage…Im happy for them.
Wow, that’s a cool history for the Sussex title. That makes sense that Queen picked that title for them.
And Sussex itself is so pretty!
Sussex has weight as a name since it used to be a kingdom.
Yep I read up on all their new titles. It makes a lot of sense. And if they have kids, the titles will not go extinct again which would be nice probably.
How comes Diana not a blood Princess got that title but not Catherine or Mehgan?
What title? Princess Diana? That was always incorrect. Her title was Diana Princess of Wales. And she got that because Prince of Wales is a higher title than Duke of Cornwall (Diana was also Duchess of Cornwall etc.)
Because she was married to the Prince of Wales, and Meghan will be married to a Duke.
Harry is entitled to use the Prince as a son of the Prince of Wales but until today he did not had a title if his own.
If they had not been bestowed this dukedom, she would have been addressed as HRH Meghan Princess Henry of Wales.
Because she was married to the crown prince which neither Catherine nor Meghan are. William will very, very likely be the prince of Wales one day (and then Catherine (if they still are married) will have the same title as Diana had) but he isn’t yet, prince Charles is and has been since before marrying Diana,
None of them were or ever will be “Princess first name” or even “Duchess first name”. Diana was HRH The Princess of Wales pre-divorce and Diana, Princess of Wales post divorce. Kate is HRH The Duchess of Cambridge, Camilla HRH The Duchess of Cornwall (and technically The Princess of Wales) and Meghan is HRH The Duchess of Sussex. Being royal gets you the HRH and the “The.”
Im a firm believer in God and I believe there’s no title that doesn’t come from God. So Sussex was chosen for them before they were even created, before they were even born. Blessed be the name of the Lord, blessed be the Sussexes and may this be a blessed day for them, may they have a very happy marriage, and may their dreams come true. Duke and duchess of Sussex it is and Im happy for them. Im inside the church now…..from the comforts of my couch.
Great choice! So excited for today!
Not my favourite just because the tabloids are going to have far too much fun with it, but Sussex is a lovely county!
Regardless of whatever title chosen, the tabloids would have found a way of distortion git to turn it against the title holders. Who would have thunk York would be turned into pork?
Guests are starting to arrive..Oprah Winfrey,Idris Elba are guests. Oprah looks good.
Omg, Oprah and Idris. I am dying.
Oprah looks great, I love that color on her.
Oprah and Idris made my day.
I think Sussex is lovely but the jokes for Dumbarton right themselves. It’s like a joke from The Windsors.
Exactly my thoughts. Dumbarton? Ugh.
Apparently, Meghan and her Mother requested that more flowers be added to the decor in the chapel yesterday.
I love how involved Meghan is in her wedding, instead of leaving it up to Courtiers.
I’m feeling like people are more excited for this wedding than they were for William and Kate. The glamour this time is amazing.
Every survey says that’s not the case.
Really? Maybe I’m basing it on my own surroundings. My Facebook feed is currently blowing up with Meghan and Harry excitement in a way that never happened before.
Its too early to tell. The polls suggest that NEITHER wedding had people as excited, but William’s had millions watching so there’s that. Polls are just polls, and until the end of the wedding when we have actual statistics, we can’t tell at this point.
I think the coverage is much heavier in the US because Meghan is American.
ummm no. 2011/12 was peak popularity for the royals. The heir getting married, the jubilee, the Olympics, the queen’s historic visit to Ireland etc.
Brexit has really put a dampener on things, NGL. Like, it makes no sense to feel happy for Royalty when food banks are on the rise and school lunches are being cut.
So they don’t invite the distant cousins Harry grew up with, but they invite Oprah? Interesting choice.
Can’t wait to see the dress.
Maybe they are not accepting of Harry marrying a biracial woman. If I had my way Princess Michael wouldn’t be invited either.
Well one of the distant cousins is Lady Davina Lewis, whose husband Gary is Maori, so I doubt if she disapproves.
I think there are two possibilities:
(1) Harry and KP were in charge of the guest list, limited the list to his first cousins and their offspring, plus the queen’s cousins (Duke of Kent, Duke of Gloucester, Princess Alexandra, Prince Michael), and no one at BP/CH caught it or had enough clout to change it.
(2) Charles had a say in the guest list and he limited the cousins as a signal about the future of the monarchy after the Queen dies. At some point, the Gloucesters and the Kents will not be on the Balcony anymore at Trooping of the Colour. Viscount Linley and Sarah Chatto and their families will be in that position vis-a-vis the throne. This _could_ be the first signal that that time is coming soon.
There is a bit of evidence to support either argument. I tend to think it was Charles who made the call, though.
(We could debate whether Charles _should_ be doing this until the cows come home, but it’s not a secret, his desire to streamline the monarchy.)
Sorry, old habits die hard: of course David is Earl of Snowdon, now.
I love their new titles! Here’s to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex!
Judiging from what I read the last months, everybody feared that it would be Sussex – feared due to the possible jokes and people in the fandom actually routed for other options. I don’t really like it because of the joke options.
One tv comedian said sounded like a dodgy pub name. I think better than anything with Ham at the end as mispronounced in other parts Buckinghaaam Tottenhaaaam
That was my favorite so I’m happy!
« Sussex » translates extremely, extremely poorly in French. Unfortunate. Oh well.
It’s an ok name, but it does have a great history behind it.
Perfect name
Would’ve preferred Essex.
Yeah, Meghan does have that Essex look to her.
Yeah, I’m still getting social-climber vibes. There’s just something that seems a bit opportunistic about her. Maybe how she tried to claim that she had no real knowledge of Harry?
I mean, hopefully she does love him, he seems to be rather taken with her.
Well, Whatever you would call a “Social Climber” is really a double major Nothwestern University Graduate. One of her majors was International Studies. Perfect for being with Harry. Not a Social Climber, a Success Climber! Meghan would have obviously done well in what ever field she chose. Happiness to All!
Just wanted to add To be able for someone of a mixed race to attend a prestigious University might be less likely in any other Country than America.
The headline puns will never die, God help us all.
I think the Duchess of Sussex is a tongue twister!!! lol
So Princess Michael will have to bow down to HRH the Duchess of Sussex even when the husbands aren’t around, correct???
Doubtful they will ever cross paths now.
When did Avondale go off the table? I think that’s a beautiful name and it had that fairy tale vibe that would have gone perfect in their story.