Why Prince Harry had to ask permission from the Queen to marry Meghan

January 07, 2023 – 11:45 AM | Nichola Murphy Prince Harry explained in his book Spare that he asked his grandmother Queen Elizabeth permission to marry Meghan Markle during a hunting trip at Sandringham.

Find someone you love, propose to them, plan a wedding and get married – those are the simple steps most couples go through to marriage. But not some members of British royalty!

Prince Harry has opened up about being oblivious to the rules surrounding royal engagements, which saw him require permission from his late grandmother Queen Elizabeth II before he popped the question to Meghan Markle in 2017.

WATCH: Prince Harry pictured down on one knee in new proposal photo

According to the royal marriage law of 1772 and the Succession to the Crown Act 2013, the first six people in the line of succession to the throne cannot marry without the consent of the reigning monarch.

Harry did not realise these were serious rules that must be followed, he admitted in his new book Spare – although he recalls his father King Charles asking permission to marry Camilla, he did not remember Prince William needing to do the same when he proposed to Princess Kate.

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Harry and Meghan announced their engagement in November 2017

So, after admitting he was ready to ask for Meghan’s hand in marriage, he had to bring it up in conversation with the Queen – a task he said filled him with fear. This terror that he may be denied the opportunity of marrying the love of his life was only fuelled by stories of how Princess Margaret was prevented from marrying divorcee Captain Peter Townsendwhile the Duke of Windsor even abdicated the throne in order to remain with American socialite Wallis Simpson, who had been divorced twice before.

Meghan was a former Suits actress who was previously married to Trevor Engleson, so it’s likely that Harry feared that history would repeat itself.

The Duke of Sussex asked for his grandmother’s permission during a hunting trip at Sandringham

In the book, the Duke details the moment he had a conversation with the Queen during a hunting trip at Sandringham in October 2017. After finally finding a private moment with Her Majesty, who had been collecting the dead birds from their trip, he asked for her permission and was delighted when she agreed.

Just weeks later, Harry popped the question on a picnic blanket surrounded by electric candles on the grounds of Kensington Palace near their home, Nottingham Cottage.

He explained on his Netflix docuseries: “I wanted to do it earlier. Because I had to ask permission from my grandmother, I couldn’t do it outside of the UK. I did pop a bottle of champagne while she was roasting a chicken and that kind of slightly gave the game away.”

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