Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Are Distant Cousins Based On Family Tree: Report

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are reportedly distantly related by blood.

Many are waiting for Prince Harry and Markle's engagement announcement. However, prior to that, it was discovered that the lovers may actually be related. According to a report by Daily Mail (via E! News), the "Suits" star and her beau are distant cousins through a late 15th-century ancestor based on a family tree. Markle's connection with the British royal family comes from the ancestor of her father, Thomas Markle.

The publication added that Prince Harry and Markle are not the first royal couple to share such a connection. Expedia developed an online tool that showed how the Scandinavian and British royal families have been linked through marriage throughout the years.

In fact, Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip, are also cousins. Both are directly related to Queen Victoria. The latter is the monarch's great-great-grandmother. Meanwhile, Prince Philip is related to the late queen on his father's side.

This discovery is unlikely to change Prince Harry and Markle's relationship. The lovers are expected to announce their engagement by the end of November.

"We are confidently expecting an engagement between Harry and Meghan," royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams said. "But it isn't likely to be announced before the Queen and the Duke's Platinum Wedding Anniversary in November."

On the other hand, royal expert Katie Nicholl believes that the announcement might be made in New Year. "I think particularly with royal engagements, it really is all about the timing," she said. "You have to remember there are other engagements and events coming up in the royal calendar that an engagement simply couldn't clash with. I think that the new year is probably a more realistic prospect for an engagement announcement."

While there are different opinions as to when Prince Harry and the "Horrible Bosses" actress would likely announce their engagement to the public, royal experts agreed that the lovers will have a low-key wedding should they choose to tie the knot. Since Markle is a divorcee, they believe that Prince Harry will follow the footsteps of his father, Prince Charles, who married Camilla Parker-Bowles in a civil wedding ceremony.

An insider also claimed that Prince Harry does not want a grand wedding with Markle, so their nuptials will likely not be as luxurious as Prince William and Kate Middleton's. "Pomp and pageantry is the last thing he would want," a source told Us Weekly. "I can see him wanting to get married at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. It would stop it from turning into a total media circus and give the day a sense of privacy that Harry so badly craves."