{"id":256478,"date":"2017-11-27T09:35:19","date_gmt":"2017-11-27T14:35:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/aleteia.org\/?post_type=post&p=256478"},"modified":"2017-11-27T09:35:19","modified_gmt":"2017-11-27T14:35:19","slug":"is-a-divorced-catholic-about-to-join-the-royal-family","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/deaconsbench\/2017\/11\/is-a-divorced-catholic-about-to-join-the-royal-family\/","title":{"rendered":"Is a divorced Catholic about to join the royal family?\u2014UPDATED"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

The interwebs are abuzz with news about the engagement of Prince Harry and actress Meghan Markle. TIME magazine<\/strong><\/a> notes some significant details:<\/p>\n

Not too long ago, it would have been difficult to imagine Prince Harry becoming engaged to marry Meghan Markle<\/a>. Given that she is a mixed-race Catholic divorcee from the United States, royal protocol would have forbidden the match.<\/p>\n

But these are changed times \u2014 and Markle<\/a>, who was born to an African-American mother and white father, captured the world\u2019s imagination in late 2016 when it was revealed that the successful actress and philanthropist had won Prince Harry\u2019s heart.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Among the most interesting points:<\/p>\n

\u2026Far more serious from a historical perspective would have been Markle\u2019s faith. Until 2015, Prince Harry would have been forbidden from marrying a Catholic<\/a> under royal succession rules, as his grandmother is head of the Protestant Church of England. The regulations were eased as part of a broader shift to remove male bias and religious discrimination in the royal order.<\/p>\n

Markle is a divorcee too, having ended her marriage to music producer Trevor Engelson in 2014, but it is not likely to cause a repeat of the scandal almost 80 years ago. Harry\u2019s father, Prince Charles, was divorced from Princess Diana before marrying Camilla Parker-Bowles in 2005. And with this marriage \u201cthe stakes are much lower,\u201d Whitelock says. \u201cHarry won\u2019t be king and will become sixth in line to the throne when [Prince William and Kate Middleton] have their third child \u2026 It\u2019s less of a constitutional significance. Of course, if this was William it would have much different implications.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Read more.<\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n

While Markle\u2019s religion has been somewhat murky\u2014Wikipedia notes that she was educated at Catholic schools, but I haven\u2019t seen any account stating that she\u2019s a baptized Catholic\u2014she has some interesting branches<\/strong><\/a> in her family tree:<\/p>\n

\n

His grandmother is the head of the Church of England with a global congregation estimated at 25 million.<\/p>\n

But Prince Harry<\/a> could soon be welcoming another religious figurehead into the Royal fold if he ties the knot with actress girlfriend Meghan Markle<\/a>.<\/p>\n

DailyMail.com can exclusively reveal that Meghan\u2019s 75-year-old uncle Frederick Markle is the leader of the \u2018Eastern Orthodox Catholic Church In America\u2019.<\/p>\n

It boasts just a single tumbledown chapel in Sanford, Florida<\/a>, and the reclusive Markle, who goes by the title Bishop Dismas, is the sole clergyman.<\/p>\n

And while the church had around 40 members in its 1980s heyday, one former worshiper told DailyMail.com he\u2019s not sure if a single person attends services there anymore.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

UPDATE:<\/strong> The short answer to the question posed in the headlines appears to be \u201cNo.\u201d<\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The interwebs are abuzz with news about the engagement of Prince Harry and actress Meghan Markle. TIME magazine notes some significant details: Not too long ago, it would have been difficult to imagine Prince Harry becoming engaged to marry Meghan Markle. Given that she is a mixed-race Catholic divorcee from the United States, royal protocol […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":132,"featured_media":256486,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11252],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-256478","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-open-mind"],"yoast_head":"\nIs a divorced Catholic about to join the royal family?\u2014UPDATED<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The interwebs are abuzz with news about the engagement of Prince Harry and actress Meghan Markle. 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