Before Harry met Meghan – 3 mixed-race royal couples from Europe and Africa who caused a stir in days past
Meghan Markle wasn’t the first foreign, black woman to marry into white European royalty – we look back at 3 mixed-race royal couples from the UK, Liechtenstein and Austria dating back hundreds of years – and how they were received by their loyal subjects
From paintings that point to clues of African ancestry, to modern ruling families that champion progressive views, we get to know three influential multiracial royal couples – other than Harry and Meghan – and how they were regarded in royalty and society.
Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and King George III
In 1761, King George III of Britain wed Princess Sophia Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, a German princess believed to have descended from the black branch of the Portuguese royal family.
The speculation on Charlotte’s ancestry comes from historian Mario De Valdés y Cocom, who, according to The Washington Post, refers to the official portraits of Charlotte, and argues that her likeness revealed distinct African features. The fact that Charlotte’s portraits were painted by Sir Allan Ramsay, an anti-slavery campaigner, furthers his claims.
“Artists of that period were expected to play down, soften or even obliterate undesirable features in a subject’s face,” Valdés is quoted in The Guardian. The historian contended that Ramsay, unlike his contemporaries, “was an accurate depicter of his subjects”. Valdés believes that Ramsay may have deliberately highlighted Charlotte’s features to express his political beliefs.
Princess Angela and Prince Maximilian of Liechtenstein
Princess Angela is a fashion designer, stylist and a Panamanian-born European royal whose wedding dress – a design of her own – is believed to have possibly inspired Meghan Markle’s, said a Tatler report. Born in Panama, Angela studied fashion at New York’s Parsons School of Design, built a career as a stylist and eventually created her own brand, A. Brown.
Having met Prince Maximilian of Liechtenstein at a party in 1997, according to reports, three years later, the couple wed at the Church of St Vincent Ferrer in New York. According to Royal Central, the marriage was “groundbreaking in Liechtenstein”, and while the union was met with negative remarks from the royal family, the majority expressed their best wishes for the couple and “did not express any prejudice towards their new princess”.