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Louis Tomlinson Calls James Corden Out
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Louis Tomlinson Calls James Corden Out

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Archie Harrison's birth certificate has been released and it contains TWO surprises

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Harry and Meghan just made another BIG announcement

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When we'll see first pics of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's baby boy - all the details

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Prince Harry APOLOGISES after royal birth announcement

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Inside Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s nursery for the royal baby

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Harry and Meghan have coped backlash over THIS Instagram photo

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People are shocked at how much time Meghan is taking off after royal baby is born

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle prepare for the arrival of baby Sussex

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WATCH: Oops! Serena may have just revealed the gender of Harry and Meghan's baby

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Will Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s royal baby be an American citizen?

The palace previously said that Meghan Markle had plans to become a U.K. citizen after marrying Prince Harry. - by Simon Perry
  • 26 Apr 2019

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s royal baby is set to make history in more ways than one.

In addition to being the first modern biracial royal in line for the throne (7th, in fact), Baby Sussex will also technically be a U.S. citizen and hold dual citizenship in the U.K.

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According to the U.S. State Department, a baby born abroad to a U.S. citizen and a non-American automatically acquires U.S. citizenship at birth if the U.S. citizen parent has lived in the U.S. or one of its outlying possessions for five years prior to the person’s birth (which Meghan has), at least two of which were after the age of fourteen.

An American can automatically transmit their citizenship to their child, and being a British citizen does not mean you can’t be a U.S. citizen. Even though the baby will born an American citizen, the couple will have to report the birth to an American consulate in order to acquire the official documents needed to prove U.S. citizenship. Then they will be eligible to apply for a passport for the baby, for example.

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593.5k likes - View Post on Instagram
What an incredibly special surprise the grassroots led #globalsussexbabyshower was last Sunday! The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are immensely grateful for the outpouring of love and support in anticipation of the birth of their first child. In lieu of sending gifts, the couple have long planned to encourage members of the public to make donations to select charities for children and parents in need. If you already made a donation, the couple send you their greatest thanks. If you are thinking about it, they ask that you kindly consider the following organisations they've selected, which we will highlight here over the next few days: @thelunchboxfund @littlevillagehq @wellchild @baby2baby The Duke and Duchess remain appreciative for your warm wishes and kindness during this especially happy time in their lives! Thank you for sharing the love ❤️

The palace previously said that Meghan, who was born and raised in Los Angeles, had plans to become a U.K. citizen (which is known to be a lengthy process) after marrying Harry.

A spokesperson for the family said at the time that it was “too early to say” if she will retain her American citizenship after she becomes a British citizen. But while she’s going through the process, she will remain an American citizen.

As it stands, their baby would obtain dual citizenship for the U.S. and U.K. if Meghan does not give up her American citizenship before she’s due to give birth.

There isn’t much precedent when it comes to foreigners marrying into the British royal family. The last time an American married into the family, it caused a constitutional crisis: King Edward VIII was forced to abdicate the throne to marry his divorced American fiancée, Wallis Simpson.

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"If things are wrong and there is a lack of justice, and there is an inequality, then someone needs to say something." - The Duchess of Sussex has become Vice-President of The @Queens_Commonwealth_Trust, of which Her Majesty The Queen is Patron, and The Duke of Sussex is President. In her new role, The Duchess will highlight the Trust's partnerships with young people across the Commonwealth, and in particular its work supporting women and girls. In celebration of International Women's Day, Her Royal Highness joined a special panel discussion of female thought-leaders and activists convened by The Queen's Commonwealth Trust, to discuss a range of issues affecting women today. #InternationalWomensDay #IWD2019 #QCT #QCTxIWD

Though clearly times have changed, and this American was welcomed into the royal family fold, there’s still a few hurdles she’ll have to jump through — even if she gets a fast pass to British citizenship.

As for whether Meghan will have to give up her American citizenship, it doesn’t seem so. Since she’s not marrying the heir to the throne, there’s less pressure all around. And she doesn’t come from royalty herself, as Prince Philip did (he had to renounce his title of Prince of Greece and Denmark before marrying Queen Elizabeth in 1947). Holding onto her American citizenship wouldn’t be quite as controversial as retaining a foreign title would have been.

Also unknown as of right now is what title the royal boy or girl will receive. If their baby is a boy, he could be known by the title Earl of Dumbarton, the secondary Sussex title, before inheriting the dukedom. If it’s a girl, she could potentially be called Lady (Her Name) Mountbatten-Windsor. But it’s unlikely that the baby will receive a title of prince or princess.

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Simon Perry
Writer for our sister site, PEOPLE online.

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Serena Williams planned Meghan's baby shower and it was royally hard

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WATCH: Oops! Serena may have just revealed the gender of Harry and Meghan's baby

WATCH: Oops! Serena may have just revealed the gender of Harry and Meghan's baby

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