The world went into frenzy when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced their engagement on Monday morning.
After their first appearance as an engaged couple, Harry and Meghan sat down at Kensington Palace’s Sunken Gardens for a live interview with BBC where they talked about what happened when Harry got down on one knee and proposed to the actress.
Speaking with British news reporter, Mishal Husain, Harry and Meghan could not keep their hands and eyes off each other. Some people may have expected a grandiose proposal from the British royal, but Harry and Meghan’s engagement story is just another reason their impending nuptials are a historic moment for the British royal family.
When asked about the proposal, Harry and Meghan said it was just a regular, “cozy” night for them at their cottage in Kensington Palace. They were roasting, or “trying to roast,” a chicken when he got down on one knee and popped the magical question. “It was just an amazing surprise,” Meghan said. “It was so sweet and natural and very romantic.” The best part is, Harry didn’t even get to finish his romantic proposal because Meghan immediately asked.” ‘Can I say yes now?’
Harry added, “Then there were hugs and I had the ring in my finger and I was like, ‘Can I give you the ring?’ and she goes, ‘Oh, yes, the ring!'” Yep, that beautiful ring designed by Prince Harry himself, which has a large diamond from Botswana in the center and two smaller stones from Princess Diana on each side.
Unfortunately, Queen Elizabeth, who was amongst the first to give her blessing to the happy couple, would not attend their wedding. This is due to the fact that Markle was married to TV and film producer Trevor Engelson between 2011 and 2013. Though she is an actress born in California, the daughter of a yoga instructor and a former television lighting director, she is a divorcee.
The Queen is head of the Church of England, which teaches that marriage is for life. As this is Meghan Markle’s second wedding, she may feel uncomfortable witnessing a divorcee’s marriage. This stopped her from attending Prince Charles’ second marriage in 2005. At the time, the Queen reportedly said: “I am not able to go … I do not feel that my position permits it.”
As the British monarch, the Queen is also the head of the Church of England. The Church of England teaches that marriage is for life, and divorce is not encouraged. Clergy are urged to think carefully before remarrying a couple.
Until 2002, divorcees could not marry again under the Church of England. However, the General Synod (governing body of the Church of England) ruling of the same year changed the law, making venues such as Westminster Abbey — where the Queen married Prince Philip in 1947 — and St Paul’s Cathedral — where Prince Charles wed Lady Diana Spencer in 1981 — available to the happy couple. So, Westminster Abbey and St Paul’s Cathedral are now both available to Prince Harry and Markle.
Down the lane, Prince Henry of Wales KCVO familiarly known as Prince Harry, is a member of the British royal family. He is the younger son of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Diana, Princess of Wales. At the time of his birth, he was third in line of succession to the British throne, after his father and elder brother, and others. But today, Prince Harry, who is fifth in line to the British throne, met Markle met on a blind date that a mutual friend set up. The press began to report the relationship in October 2016.
Markle’s mother is African-American and has ancestry in Tennessee and Georgia. Markle’s great-great-great-grandfather chose the surname Wisdom upon emancipation. He had been enslaved in the plantations of Georgia..
Markle’s father’s ancestor, Rev. William Skipper, immigrated to Boston, Massachusetts in 1639 and is a direct descendant of King Edward III. Markle is a distant cousin of Prince Harry, their most recent common ancestors being Lady Mary de Clifford and Sir Philip Wentworth. Markle is a direct descendant of Captain Christopher Hussey of Hampton, New Hampshire.
The 36-year-old actress and her 32-year-old beau are reportedly cousins, going to the 15th Century. Despite their different upbringings, Prince Harry and his American girlfriend, Meghan Markle have more in common than we previously believed.
A genealogical investigation by The Mail on Sunday has found that the famous pair are actually distant cousins, related through a late 15th Century ancestor of the Queen Mother.
The publication reports the Suits star’s connection to the Royal Family comes as a result of her family’s ancestry dating to High Sheriff of County Durham Ralph Bowes – an ancestor of Markle from 15 generations ago.
Bowes’ family seat was Streatlam Castle situated in the North East of England and his grandson Christopher Hussey moved to America in 1632, helping to found Nantucket, Massachusetts. Fast forward a few years and boom, Meghan Markle.
Meanwhile, Bowes’s great-grandson Sir George Bowes became a member of parliament during the reign of Charles II and to cut a very long story short, Prince Harry came along.
What’s more bizarre is the fact that Prince Harry’s ancestor, Henry VIII, reportedly executed a relative of Markle.
A new report, via The Sunday Telegraph, claims that back when Henry VIII was reigning in Britain, there was a plot orchestrated by a man named Lord Hussey, 1st Baron Hussey of Sleaford and the great-great-great grandfather to Christopher Hussey attempted to overthrow the monarch. As a result, Henry VIII beheaded him.
Some people may impute incestuous relationship in Harry-Meghan engagement. Yet, more than 1,000 years ago, people related directly or indirectly with others. With love and understanding, the couple would achieve nuptial bliss.
