Royal profiles give up little-known nuggets
- Published
Newly married Meghan Markle - now the Duchess of Sussex - has been given the ultimate seal of approval that she's "in" with the in-laws. Her official profile on the Royal Family website is up.
The duchess, alongside her husband, Prince Harry, is one of 21 royals with their own personal introductions, which tell the public all they need to know about them.
Here's several things we spotted in their profiles.
Making a statement
It's clear from Meghan's profile she wants to be a different type of royal - highlighting her passions for women's rights and social change.
Emblazoned in the middle of the biography is this strong quote about feminism:
No other royal talks so openly about themselves; some - including the Duke of Sussex - do not have a quote.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge speak strongly about children and the importance of conservation of the world's wildlife.
Education
While Prince William and Catherine chose to highlight their school achievements prominently, younger sibling the Duke of Sussex seems less keen to do so.
Prince William left Eton College in Berkshire in 2000 with A Levels in Geography, Biology and History of Art, while Catherine achieved qualifications in Chemistry, Biology and Art from her time at Marlborough College in Wiltshire.
Despite both brothers joining the armed forces, Prince Harry's profile leaves us guessing what he left secondary school with, as it details limited information on the results "that qualified him to fulfil his ambition to join the Army".
To gap year or not?
It's common for students to take a bit of time out to travel, do some volunteering or grab some extra cash for the years of studying ahead. And who doesn't want to know what a royal would do with their break?
Prince William chose to take a breather before starting his degree at St Andrew's University, where he met the duchess.
Before their love story began, the duke's year included completing "preparation for survival" exercises with the Welsh Guards in Belize, central America and working on a British dairy farm.
Unfortunately, we can only imagine the milking a cow pictures.
Royal firsts
The Duke of Edinburgh was the first Royal Family member to ever fly out of Buckingham Palace Gardens in a helicopter
Princess Alexandra became the first British princess to go to boarding school when she went to Heathfield School near Ascot in 1947
Prince Michael was the first member to learn Russian
Born in 1960, the Duke of York became the first child to be born to a reigning monarch for 103 years
The Duke of Kent was the first of the family to go to China on an official visit
Horsing around
The Princess Royal's biography is dominated by her love and commitment to horses.
In one of the first pictures, the princess is seen with the Queen tacking up Greensleeves the pony at Her Majesty's Balmoral estate in 1955.
So it's no surprise Princess Anne's involvement as an athlete in the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games is mentioned alongside her winning the BBC's Sports Personality award five years previously.
Commitment to the title
While it's traditional for the oldest male child of the reigning monarch to take on the title of Prince of Wales, Prince Charles made a commitment to learn the Welsh language before his investiture in 1969.
He spent a term at the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth, learning to siarad Cymraeg*.
From marines to the theatre
Prince Edward deserves recognition for having one of the Royal Family's most interesting career changes.
After three years in the Royal Marines, the earl decided theatre would be his next challenge. He even went on to work for Andrew Lloyd Webber's Really Useful Theatre Company.
Prince Edward's theatrical past sits high up on his official profile including his production work for The Duke of Edinburgh's Award.
Longer than the Queen? Profiles by word count
Duke of Kent 1,248 words
Duke of Sussex (Prince Harry) 1,246 words
Prince of Wales (Prince Charles) 1,174 words
Countess of Wessex (Sophie) 915 words
Duke of Cambridge (Prince William) 877 words
Duchess of Cambridge (Catherine) 783 words
Earl of Wessex (Prince Edward) 731 words
Duke of York (Prince Andrew) 691 words
Princess Alexandra 644 words
Duchess of Gloucester 612 words
Duke of Edinburgh (Prince Philip) 607 words
Princess Charlotte 605 words
Prince George 580 words
The Duchess of Sussex (Meghan) 532 words
Princess Royal (Princess Anne) 444 words
The Queen 438 words
Duke of Gloucester 373 words
Duchess of Kent 352 words
Duchess of Cornwall (Camilla) 305 words
Prince and Princess Michael of Kent 216 words
Prince Louis 125 words
Figures based on About sections only
*Speak Welsh
- Published6 June 2021
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