As you’ve no doubt heard by now, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle appear to be headed for the altar.
Rumors about Harry and Meghan getting engaged have been circulating pretty much from the day they started dating.
On several occasions, we’ve been told that Harry had popped the question and an official announcement was imminent.
Each time, of course, the royal decree that Suits is now the official legal drama of British Empire never happened, and like clockwork, we were greeted with a wave of explanatory follow-up rumors.
Some claim Harry and Meghan are already enagaged, but holding off on making an announcenment.
Others insist Harry is waiting for a special occasion to propose, the date of which keeps getting pushed back in order to suit the narrative (many currently have it at Christmas).
And then there are those who believe Harry and Meghan are facing a roadblock that neither of them anticipated–one that may prove insurmountable.
We probably don’t need to tell you that the royal family is an insititution that’s steeped in tradition and the continued observation of certain outdated social mores.
When it comes to marriage, of course, the royal rules often come into conflict
Famously disastrous royal romances include Charles and Di, Princess Margaret and Peter Townsend, and of course, Henry VIII and like half the women of England.
The royals’ messy marital history and laundry list of arcane rules has brought up several interesting questions with regard to the HarMeg relationshiop the most salient of which is, are Harry and Meghan allowed to get married?
It may seem like a ridiculous thing to ask, as both parties are grown adults, and as a guy who could conceivably be King of England one day, you’d think Harry would be allowed to do pretty much whatever the hell he wants.
But his power is derived from his connection to his family, and his family observes several strict ordinances which could complicate his relationship with Meghan.
For one thing Meghan is divorced, which has led to rumors that she and Harry may not be permitted to get married in the Church of England, a fully legit religious sect that was founded under the principle that sometimes a married guy needs to be able to bone someone new.
Meghan married Trevor Egelson in 2011, and though the marriage lasted less than two years, it’s led to rumors that she may not be permitted to marry Harry in the church founded by his ancestors.
Many have pointed to the case of Edward VIII, who was forced to abdicate the throne in 1936 in order to marry Wallis Simpson, a divorced socialite, who–like Meghan–happend to also be American.
But as People magazine and may others have pointed out, times have changed just a bit since Edward and Wallis’ time.
Prince Charles married Camilla Parker-Bowles in 2005, and despite the fact that it’s the second marriage for both, the union is recognized by the Church of England.
Of course, esoteric religious docrtine is just the tip of the iceberg, and there have been many other rumors about why Harry and Meghan might not be able to get married.
Some say the royal family disapproves of Meghan (interestingly, Camilla is said to be leading the charge on that score) due to her career as an actress.
Others say the Queen won’t give her blessing because Meghan is American, but that seems bogus for a number of reasons.
For one thing, Queen Elizabeth II is freakin’ 91 years old.
We doubt she’s burning bridges with her grandson and his girlfriend just because she dislikes accents that are different from her own.
Plus, that whole messy revolution business was like 241 years ago. The Brits are probably over it by now.
So in all likelihood, Harry and Meghan will get married sometime in the near future.
And when will their engagement be official?
Like the rest of the world, we have no idea, but we’ll continue to keep you apprised of avery ridiculous rumor!