Duchess of Sussex

Duchess of Sussex is the principal courtesy title held by the wife of the Duke of Sussex and is legally gained upon marriage.

Duchess of Sussex
Incumbent
Meghan Markle
StyleHer Royal Highness
Ma'am
Term lengthAs long as married to the Duke of Sussex
Inaugural holderMeghan Markle

Two British princes who have held the title Duke of Sussex, though there has been only one Duchess of Sussex. This is due to the fact that the first prince to hold this title, Prince Augustus Frederick, married his wives in contradiction of the Royal Marriages Act 1772, therefore rendering his wives unable to hold the position as Princess of the United Kingdom, the style Royal Highness, or the title Duchess of Sussex. The current Duchess of Sussex is Meghan Markle, wife of Prince Harry, since their wedding on 19 May 2018.

History
See also: Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex

The ducal title Duke of Sussex was first created for Prince Augustus Frederick by his father, George III of the United Kingdom, 24 November 1801.[1] He was also created Baron Arklow and Earl of Inverness. Before The Duke of Sussex was conferred these titles, he met Lady Augusta Murray, daughter of John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore, while traveling in Italy. They married in Rome and married a second time in Westminster, England, in April 1793.[2] She was not styled as Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex because the Prince was not granted the title until 1801, eight years after the marriage. However, since the Prince did not obtain permission from the King, it was in contradiction to the Royal Marriages Act 1772 and Lady Murry could not hold the style and title Her Royal Higness Princess Augustus Fredrick. Instead, she changed her name to Lady Augusta De Ameland by royal license.[3] The Arches Court of the Church of England annulled the marriage in July 1794. The couple had a son and daughter, Augustus d'Este (né Hanover) and Augusta Emma Wilde, Baroness Truro, respectively.

Lady De Ameland died on 4 March 1830 in Ramsgate, England. The Duke of Sussex then met and married Lady Cecilia Letitia Buggin (née Gore), the daughter of Arthur Gore, 2nd Earl of Arran, on 2 May 1831. The marriage was also in contradiction to the Royal Marriages Act 1772 and could not be titled and styled as Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex and instead Lady Buggin assumed the name Lady Cecilia Underwood by royal license, her surname being her mother's maiden name. Since the marriage was invalid, she did not share the same rank as her husband and was not entitled to the status of Princess of the United Kingdom. This resulted in her not being able to attend functions her husband attended due to her lower rank. To fix this problem, her husband's niece Queen Victoria made her Duchess of Inverness in her own right.[4] This title reflected her husband's subsidiary title of Earl of Inverness. Prince Augustus Fredrick died on 21 April 1843 in Kensington Palace. Since his son Augustus was an illegitimate child, his title Duke of Sussex and his subsidiary titles became extinct on his death and merged with the crown.

Prince Harry, the younger son of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Diana, Princess of Wales, is sixth in line to the British throne as the grandson of Queen Elizabeth II. He met American actress Meghan Markle in 2016 and began dating thereafter. They became engaged in November 2017.[5] Since their engagement and before their wedding, there was speculation about the Prince and Markle's future titles upon marriage. It was speculated that they would become the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, but would only be confirmed once the Queen bestowed the title upon Prince Harry on his wedding day to Markle.[6] On 19 May 2018, the Queen made Prince Harry the Duke of Sussex, the second British prince to be created as such. Upon marrying the Duke of Sussex, Markle became Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex, the first woman to hold that title. The Duchess of Sussex also holds the subsidiary titles Countess of Dumbarton in Scotland and Lady Kilkeel in Northern Ireland.

Duchesses of Sussex
Person Name Birth Marriage Became Duchess of Sussex Spouse Ceased to be Duchess of Sussex Death
Meghan Markle[lower-alpha 1] 4 August 1981
Los Angeles, California, U.S.		 19 May 2018 Prince Harry Incumbent  –
now 38 years, 330 days old

Wives of other Dukes of Sussex

For informational purposes, the wives of the first Duke of Sussex, Prince Augustus Frederick, are listed below. They never held the status of Princess of the United Kingdom or the style and title of Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex.

Person Name Birth Marriage(s) Spouse(s) Death
Lady Augusta Murray[lower-alpha 2] 27 January 1761
Scotland		 m. 4 April 1793  – ann. July 1794 Prince Augustus Frederick 4 March 1830
Ramsgate, England
Cecilia Underwood, Duchess of Inverness[lower-alpha 3] c. 1789 m. May 1815  – wid. 12 April 1825[lower-alpha 4]

m. 2 May 1831 – wid. 21 April 1843[lower-alpha 5]		 Sir George Buggin

Prince Augustus Frederick		 1 August 1873
Kensington Palace, London, England

See also

Notes
  1. The Duchess of Sussex was born Rachel Meghan Markle and used the name Meghan Markle during her acting career. Upon her marriage to Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, she became Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Susssex. As the wife of a prince and entitled to the style Royal Highness, she does not normally use a surname, though she can use the surname Mountbatten-Windsor or Sussex if one is needed. The Duchess of Sussex gave birth to a son, Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, in 2019; on his birth certificate, the Duchess is listed as Rachel Meghan Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex.[7]
  2. Lady Murry was born Lady Augusta Murry and was styled with the courtesy title Lady as a daughter of an earl. In 1806, Lady Augusta assumed the name Lady Augusta De Ameland by royal licence.[8]
  3. The Duchess was born Lady Cecilia Letitia Gore and was styled with the courtesy title Lady as a daughter of an earl. Upon her marriage to Sir George Buggin, she was titled Lady Cecilia Letitia Buggin.[8] When she married Prince Augustus Frederick it was in contradiction to the Royal Marriages Act 1772. It was considered legally void and she could not use the style and title Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex, though the marriage was informally recognized.[9] Instead, she assumed the name Lady Cecilia Letitia Underwood[10] by royal license, with her surname being her mother's maiden surname.[8] In 1840, Queen Victoria made her Duchess of Inverness in her own right and she was styled Her Grace The Duchess of Inverness.
  4. The Duchess's first husband was Sir George Buggin.[10] They married in May 1815 and had no children.[8] Buggin died on 2 May 1831.
  5. The Duke of Sussex and Lady Cecilia Gore married at Great Cumberland Place, London, on 2 May 1831.[10] It was in contradiction to the Royal Marriages Act 1772 and was legally void. The marriage ended when the Duke of Sussex died on 21 April 1843 at Kensington Palace.

References
  1. "1403". The London Gazette. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  2. Henderson, T.F. (2004). "Augustus Frederick, Prince, duke of Sussex (1773–1843)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. rev. John Van der Kiste. Oxford University Press.
  3. "No. 15966". The London Gazette. 18 October 1806. p. 1364.
  4. "No. 19842". The London Gazette. 31 March 1840. p. 858.
  5. Evans, Morgan; Reslen, Eileen (8 May 2019). "Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Son Arrived Just Days Before Their First Wedding Anniversary". Town & Country.
  6. Sorkin, Amy Davidson. "Finding the Right Title for Meghan Markle and Prince Harry". The New Yorker. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  7. Gonzales, Erica (17 May 2019). "Meghan's Occupation Is "Princess of the United Kingdom" on Archie's Birth Certificate". Harper's BAZAAR. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
  8. The Churchman; a monthly magazine in defence of the venerable Church and constitution of England. Oxford University. 1843. p. 357. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
  9. Greville, Charles (1909). Reeve, Henry (ed.). The Greville Memoirs: A Journal of the Reigns of King George IV., King William IV., and Queen Victoria. Green Longmans. p. 288. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
  10. "DEATH OF THE DUCHESS OF INVERNESS" (PDF). The New York Times. London, England. 3 August 1873. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
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