Will Meghan Markle Still Apply for British Citizenship Following Royal Exit?
As part of their new arrangement with the royal family, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry will split their time between England and North America.
The Sussexes will retain their Frogmore Cottage property in Windsor, but it's believed that they will spend more time in Canada.
Duchess Meghan previously began the process to become a British citizen, which will presumably be impacted by the new agreement.
When Meghan Markle married Prince Harry, a spokesperson for the royal family told CNN that the duchess would begin the process to obtain British citizenship. The spokesperson also revealed that it was "too early to say" whether the duchess would keep her dual citizenship once she'd completed the process.
However, now that Meghan and Harry plan to split their time between England and North America, it's less clear whether the Duchess of Sussex will still pursue British citizenship.
This weekend, the royal family revealed some of the terms of Meghan and Harry's decision to step down as senior members of the royal family. It was pointed out by BAZAAR.com's Royal Editor At Large, Omid Scobie, on Twitter that Meghan and Harry "will repay Sovereign Grant funding spent on Frogmore Cottage but mostly live in North America." So if the Sussexes plan to spend the majority of their time in Canada or the United States, will Meghan still qualify for British citizenship?
The official government website states, "To apply as the spouse or civil partner of a British citizen you must have lived in the UK for the last three years." It was reported in November 2017 that Meghan had officially moved to London from Canada, ahead of her engagement to Prince Harry. If that was, in fact, the actual date the duchess moved to England, then she has lived in the UK for less than three years.
Further rules stipulate that an applicant must not have "spent more than 270 days outside the UK during the 3 years before your application," or "spent more than 90 days outside the UK in the last 12 months." These rules could potentially make Meghan's British citizenship application null and void, too.
It's also been suggested that Meghan always retained a presence in Canada, and perhaps had hoped to return there. As The Telegraph reported, "It has now emerged that when she left her home in Toronto, where the LA born actress was based for seven years during the filming of the legal drama Suits, she left behind an entire wardrobe of clothes."
For now, the status of Meghan's British citizenship application remains unclear, but it's possible that the royal family will make a statement in due course regarding the matter.
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