A new addition to Britain's Royal family

Prince Harry, the younger son of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Diana, Princess of Wales, is engaged to Meghan Markle, a divorced biracial American actress, and they will be married in May next year, Britain’s royal family said on Monday. It is amazing at how much things have changed since 1936, when then-King Edward VIII gave up the throne to George VI, the father of Elizabeth II, to marry American divorcee Wallis Warfield Simpson.

Of course, Prince Harry has almost no chance of becoming king, as he is fifth in line to the throne, which is lower than Prince George and Princess Charlotte, children of Prince William of Cambridge and Kate Middleton. Thus one would wonder what the situation would have been if Prince William, who is currently second in line to succession, had wanted to marry a divorced American woman. Prince Charles, who is first in line, remarried to divorcee Camilla Parker Bowles. Bowles is not princess, but duchess; and will be princess consort, rather than queen consort, when Charles succeeds the throne.

Princess Diana was from a noble but not wealthy family. Her carefree spirit made it difficult for her to adjust to the strict ambience of the royal family. Prince William’s marriage to Middleton in 2010 became an issue as it was the first marriage to a non-royal family. Markle comes from the United States, where there is no aristocratic class. She is a half-Jewish half-African American descent, which is also a first for a royal family.

Markle is an intellectual and versatile actress. Aside from drama, she majored in international studies at Northwestern University and once aspired to go into politics. She runs a lifestyle blog and is an avid advocate for humanitarian rights. She has held a fashion show, featuring her own dresses. Markle, who appears on TV in short dresses and talks casually with her legs crossed, is quite different from sleek and sophisticated Middleton. It is curious how these two women will display their different styles and activities as patrons of humanitarian aid, sports and culture.