The Queen has officially given her consent for Prince Harry to marry Meghan Markle with the release of the Instrument of Consent document. But some noticed there was a striking difference between the official document used for Harry and Meghan, and the one granted to Prince William when he wed his then-fiancée Kate.
In William and Kate's Instrument of Consent signed in 2011, Her Majesty referred to the Duchess as "Our Trusty and Well-beloved Catherine Elizabeth Middleton". But Harry's fiancée Meghan is simply "Rachel Meghan Markle" – omitting the "trusty" and "well-beloved" description.
Meghan missed out on the 'trusty and well-beloved' reference
However, there is no malice on the part of Her Majesty, just a simple explanation. As an American citizen, Los Angeles-born Meghan is not yet a British subject. A source clarified to HELLO!: "The term 'trusty and well-beloved' is customarily used for citizens of the UK and Commonwealth Realms."
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The Queen signed the elaborate document one week before Harry and Meghan's wedding, which will take place on Saturday 19 May at Windsor. The Instrument of Consent grants the "consent to the union of 'Our Most Dearly Beloved Grandson Prince Henry Charles Albert David of Wales, K.C.V.O., and Rachel Meghan Markle'." It also notes that Harry, who is sixth-in-line to the throne, needed to obtain the consent of his grandmother before marrying. The monarch is expected to write a more personal and heartfelt letter to Harry and Meghan once their marriage is made official.
The explanation is simple; Meghan is not yet a British citizen
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Shortly after announcing their engagement, the former Suits actress opened up about meeting the Queen. "It's incredible, I think, you know, a) to be able to meet her through his lens, not just with his honour and respect for her as the monarch, but the love that he has for her as his grandmother," she told the BBC. Meghan, 36, added: "All of those layers have been so important for me so that when I met her I had such a deep understanding and of course incredible respect for being able to have that time with her. And we've had a really – she's – she's an incredible woman."