First British Queen of African Descent
On 05/19/2018, millions tuned in to watch Prince Henry Charles Albert David Mountbatten-Windsor, better known as Prince Harry, the younger son of Prince Charles and Princess Diana of Wales and grandson of Queen Elizabeth II, marry Rachel Meghan Markle of Canoga Park, Los Angeles, California. Upon his marriage, Henry was bestowed the titles of Duke of Sussex, Earl of Dumbarton and Baron Kilkeel.
Meghan, now titles the Duchess of Sussex, Kensington Palace is the first person ever to hold the title of Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Sussex because the previous duke’s two marriages were both unapproved by the monarchy. This deemed them unlawful and caused his brides to be ineligible to hold the title. However, Meghan is not the first European royal of African descent, which is why some viewers that demonstrated no previous interesting the royal family tuned in to watch the wedding. Meghan describes her heritage as her father being Caucasian and her mother African American.
The first European queen of African descent was named Sophia Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (05/19/1744 – 11/17/1818), the wife of King George III, who she married in 1761. Together, they had fifteen children. Of her children, two became kings: King George IV and King William IV. of Additionally, she was the grandmother of Queen Victoria.
Charlotte was the daughter of Duke Charles Louis Frederick of Mecklenburg and Princess Elisabeth Albertine of Saxe-Hildburghausen. She was given the titles of Queen of Great Britain, Queen of Ireland, Queen Consort of Hanover.
It is believed that although Charlotte was German, her ancestry is an African branch of the Portuguese royal family, related to Alfonso III, a thirteenth-century ruler, and his moor/African lover, Valdes. Of course, there are critics that state the evidence to support her African ancestry is thin and even if true, she is too far removed to be considered biracial.
As a side note, the city of Charlotte, North Caroline, nicknamed the Queen’s City, is named after her, and tributes to her can be found throughout the city, including statues and streets bearing her name.
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