The more royal rules we hear about, the more confused we get. Meghan Markle can’t wear certain nail polish colors, can’t eat certain foods, and can’t have certain celebrations. And now, get this: If and when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle become parents, they won’t actually have custody over their kids. Yeah, it’s bizarre but true.
According to royal expert Marlene Koenig via news.com.au, Queen Elizabeth has custody of her minor great-grandchildren. This means that the Queen is also currently the legal guardian of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s three children: Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.
“This goes back to King George I [who reigned from 1714 to 1727], and the law’s never been changed,” Koenig said. “He did it because he had a very poor relationship with his son, the future King George II, so they had this law passed that meant the King was the guardian of his grandchildren.”
In 1717, 10 out of 12 judges passed the law and declared the monarch’s “right of supervision extended to his grandchildren and this right of right belongs to His Majesty, King of the Realm, even during their father’s lifetime.”
[facebook_ia_ad_tag adid=”1″]
The law is still in place to this day and the royal family still abides by it. Koenig said that the Queen has the final say on larger parenting decisions like travel. She had to give her okay before Prince Charles sent William to camp in the United States in the late ’90s, and also had to approve William and Harry flying together on the same plane to Scotland as children, which is usually a royal no-no.
[fm_instagram url=”https://www.instagram.com/p/BmDEiIRn3lj/?taken-by=theroyalfamily”]
And interestingly enough, when royal couples divorce, like Princess Diana and Prince Charles and also Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, child custody is not something that’s included in the divorce papers.
“Custody is not included because they did not legally have custody of their children to begin with,” Koenig said.
[fm_instagram url=”https://www.instagram.com/p/BlhkjzPH5u7/?taken-by=theroyalfamily”]
[facebook_ia_ad_tag adid=”2″]
If and when the monarch dies while his or her grandchildren are still minors, custody goes to the next reigning king or queen. So, if Queen Elizabeth passes, Charles will become king and hold custody of his grandchildren, George, Charlotte, and Louis (and any future children of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle).
Koenig notes that the palace “doesn’t make a big deal” over the law, and she doubts Charles would be strict with parenting decisions. She describes Prince Charles as,”very respectful of his son’s parenting,” and joked that he may only demand pictures, as a grandfather is wont to do.
The ways of the royal family never cease to amaze us. We just hope someone filled Markle in because this could certainly be a rude awakening.
