Meghan Markle has moved away from the British royal family in more ways than one. Two weeks after announcing with Prince Harry to distance herself from Buckingham Palace, the Duchess of Sussex has put an end to the steps to make her a British citizen and a subject of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, according to The Sun .
Obtaining a UK passport has de facto become very complicated given the willingness of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry to share their time between the Old Continent and Canada. The Duchess joined Vancouver the day after the announcement of the withdrawal of the couple from the royal family. She was joined by her husband last Monday.
Difficult rules
According to the tabloid, the Duchess of Sussex would have started the steps to acquire British citizenship soon after her marriage to Prince Harry in May 2018. The start of a process supposed to last several years and which requires three years of legal residence in the UK before you can claim to be naturalized.
For Meghan Markle, this means having spent no more than 270 days outside the UK in those three years and more than 90 days in the last year in question.
The Home Office could make an exception. For that, the couple would have to intend to continue living together permanently in the United Kingdom, "explained immigration lawyer Michael Sun Marziano.
But the decision of Prince Harry and his wife to fly to Canada will destroy any effort to show a strong commitment to the United Kingdom and an intention to live there, "said a government source.