It’s already been a month since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle tied the knot, which means she’s officially a member of a very long line of British royalty.
Going from commoner to Duchess overnight is overwhelming in itself, but combine Queen Elizabeth’s 65-year reign with over 1200 years of British history, and Markle has a lot to learn about her new family – and some things are more surprising than others.
Keep scrolling to learn the 17 things you (and the new Duchess of Sussex) need to know about the royal family.
“The royals” almost weren’t “the royals.”
It’s difficult to imagine a world without the same royal family we know and love, but if it weren’t for King Edward VII unexpectedly abdicating the throne in 1936, there might have been a different crop of family members making headlines.
When King Edward VII voluntarily stepped down as king, his brother – and Queen Elizabeth’s father – King George VI took over, which led to Elizabeth’s coronation in 1953.
While technically Queen Elizabeth still would have become the sovereign if King Edward hadn’t stepped down, it wouldn’t have happened until 20 years later, and who knows how that would have shifted family ties?
They aren’t allowed to take selfies or sign autographs.
According to Time, signatures aren’t allowed for fear of fraud, but Meghan Markle has finessed her way around that rule before in her early days of public appearances with Prince Harry.
The family also is discouraged from taking selfies, but this is apparently due to Queen Elizabeth’s disapproval of the trend rather than a security risk or tradition.
Kate Middleton was the first royal bride with a college degree.
She graduated with a degree in art history from University of St. Andrews (the same university as Prince William) in 2005. As of her wedding in 2011, she was the only royal bride to earn a degree, but not anymore. Her new sister-in-law Meghan Markle graduated with degrees in theater and international studies from Northwestern University in 2003.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider