Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Could Be King, Queen In These Scenarios

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have a chance to be the next king and queen, but it's very slim.

The "Suits" actress is set to marry the Duke on May 19 at St. George Chapel in Windsor Castle. Before their wedding, some wonderee if there is a possibility for Markle to be the queen in the future.

At the moment, Prince Harry is fifth in line to the throne. Prince Charles is expected to take over from Queen Elizabeth II when she passes away. After the Prince of Wales, Prince William and his kids, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, are next in line.

Prince Harry's rank in the line of succession may change once the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's third royal baby arrives. Although Markle's fiancée will be sixth in line to the throne by then, there are still scenarios wherein the prince could potentially take over the throne.

According to Express, Prince Harry and his children would be the next rulers if the royals before him would be deemed unsuitable to rule for some reason such as death, insanity or illness. If Prince Harry will be the king, Markle will automatically become his queen.

The wives of the princes automatically inherit their title. For instance, Camilla Parker Bowles has the right to use the title Princess of Wales because Prince Charles is the Prince of Wales. However, since the title is still strongly associated to Princess Diana, Bowles opted to use the Duchess of Cornwall instead.

In related news, there were rumors that Prince William and Middleton are taking over the throne after the reigning monarch. According to the speculations, Queen Elizabeth II reportedly favors her grandson and may skip Prince Charles for the crown.

But there is no truth to the reports. Her Majesty has no power to determine who will take over the throne after her. The line of succession dictates that Prince Charles is the next king.

Based on a poll, the majority of the respondents prefer Prince William and Middleton to be the next king and queen over Prince Charles and Parker-Bowles. But while the result is interesting, it has no actual effect on the line of succession.

In addition, Prince William is apparently not interested in taking over the throne earlier than his appointed time. "Although, like his father, William will be destined to have a far shorter reign than his grandmother, he has said he has no desire to 'climb the ladder of kingship' before his time," said Gill Knappet, author of "Charles, Prince of Wales."