Will Meghan Markle ever be the queen?
After Meghan Markle gets married to Prince Harry at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle on May 19, the couple will get the title of Duke and Duchess of Sussex. However, the big question comes- will Meghan ever be the queen? Experts say it's highly unlikely. This is because ascension to the British monarchy is regulated through descent, which means those marrying into the royal family do not acquire succession rights. Even if Harry did become king, the chances of which are quite slim, Markle wouldn't actually become the 'Queen' but she may be given the title of Queen Consort, which would be expected as the wife of the monarch.
When one looks at the line of succession in the royal family, Prince Harry is sixth in line after the birth of Prince Louis. Recently, there had been reports that the Queen will be handing over the power to Prince Charles. Robert Lacey, the historical consultant for the Netflix series 'The Crown' told the Daily Beast, that there was a possibility for her to do that sometime soon.
"Prince Regent does not have happy connotations, having last been used during the madness of King George III. I don’t think that mechanism would get dusted off with any keenness at all," he said. "Being regent is far from being king, and the Queen knows that it would be nothing more than a temporary fix, and not a particularly pleasant one for her son. When Prince Philip dies or the Queen turns 95, whichever comes first, I believe the Queen will abdicate—the Palace will spin it as a retirement, but technically it will be an abdication—leaving Charles to become king while still in his early 70s," he added.
However, Prince Charles might be quite old when this happens. He'll still be the oldest person ever to ascend to the throne, which is far from ideal since polls have always shown most Britons want William and Kate to be their next king and queen," he said.
"It could be a two-step process, with the Queen allowing a regency, and waiting a few years to abdicate. But again, that just complicates matters. Charles would grow restless awfully fast in the role of regent. He has been waiting his whole life for the 'Big Job', after all. At this late stage, it would be a little cruel to make him audition for the part. His whole life has been an audition," he continued.
According to Royal Central, the issue of making the wives of Kings, Princess Consorts to equalize the issue was discussed during the Succession to the Crown Act readings in the Commons though never made it into the final bill.
As things stand, The Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla Parker Bowles will automatically become Queen when Prince Charles accedes to the throne – with Clarence House still pushing forward with the idea that legislation will be passed to reduce her to the title of Princess Consort.
At the same time, after Prince Charles, there are four others in the line before Prince Harry gets the role of a king. Prince William, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. One could say it will be a long wait until we see Meghan taking on the role of a queen. And who knows by then the rules may change as the present laws continue to be debated upon and Markle may get to be Queen.