Meghan Markle is not only a duchess, but also a princess — and royal experts say that won't change thanks to Prince Harry

• Meghan Markle became a Princess of the United Kingdom upon marrying Prince Harry in 2018.

• She is still considered a princess after stepping back from royal duties and moving to the US.

• This is not likely to change since the royal title is Prince Harry's birthright.

Meghan Markle became the Duchess of Sussex and a Princess of the United Kingdom upon her wedding to Prince Harry on May 19, 2018.

But Markle only uses her duchess title on a regular basis. For example, she is referred to as the Duchess of Sussex on the website for Archewell, a nonprofit she created with Prince Harry after stepping back from royal duties.

Even so, you wouldn't be wrong to call her a princess. Tyler Perry, a close friend of the Sussexes who allowed them to stay in his Los Angeles home in 2020, referred to Markle as "Princess Meghan" in a social-media post for her birthday on August 4.

"I've had a front row seat in your life for the past few years. I've watched you endure things that would have broken a lot of people," Perry wrote.

"I'm so incredibly proud to see how happy you, your husband, and your kids are now. It fills me with joy to say Happy Birthday Princess Meghan," he added.

Markle will always be a Princess of the United Kingdom

Although Markle left royal life and relocated to the US in 2020, she is still considered a Princess of the United Kingdom — and that's not likely to change anytime soon, according to royal commentators.

"Of course Meghan is a princess. She would be styled as Princess Henry if Harry did not have a Dukedom," royal historian Marlene Koenig told Insider, referencing Harry's Duke of Sussex title given to him by the Queen when he married Markle.

The couple are still Prince and Princess of the United Kingdom, even if they don't use the titles on a daily basis. For instance, they listed "prince" and "princess" as their occupations on their son Archie's birth certificate in May 2019. They listed the same on their daughter Lilibet's birth certificate, who was born in California on June 4, 2021, after the couple had stepped back from royal duties.

The same titles apply to Prince William and Kate Middleton, who also listed their occupations as Prince and Princess of the United Kingdom on their children's birth certificates. 

Markle and Harry said they would stop using their HRH titles when they stepped back from royal duties in the spring of 2020. They made no such promise to stop using their other titles, even when some public figures in the UK urged the Queen to strip Harry of his dukedom in September 2020.

Royal commentators previously told Insider that Harry and Markle wouldn't lose their titles because it's the duke's "birthright" as the son of Prince Charles, heir to the throne.

"The Queen made the decision to honor Harry by making him a royal duke on his wedding day. He is, and will always be, a prince — given he is the second son of the heir to the throne," Robert Jobson, royal editor at the Evening Standard, previously told Insider.

Katie Nicholl, a royal biographer, previously told Insider: "I think it would be highly unlikely for the Queen to revoke Harry's title. It is his birthright. "

It's also worth noting that other non-working royals Princess Eugenie, Princess Beatrice, and Lady Sophie Windsor spent time living in the US and were not asked to give up their titles.

Representatives for the Duchess of Sussex and Buckingham Palace did not respond to Insider's request for comment.

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