Prince Harry and Meghan Markle 'are distant cousins'

British royal Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are distant cousins, research has suggested.

The 33-year-old royal has been dating the 'Suits' actress since mid-2016, but a genealogical investigation by the Mail on Sunday newspaper suggests that the loved-up couple are, in fact, distant cousins.

According to the study, the duo are related through a late 15th Century ancestor of the Queen Mother.

Meghan's link to the British royal family stem from her father Thomas Markle, the award-winning cinematographer.

The research comes amid speculation that Prince Harry is poised to propose to the actress, with rumours suggesting the duo could tie the knot in 2018.

And last week, royal expert Katie Nicholl revealed Prince Harry had a crush on Meghan for "two years" before they met.

The brunette beauty first caught the Prince's eye two years prior to their meeting, as he had been attracted to Rachel Zane, her character on the USA Network drama show.

Katie said: "He had a crush on Rachel Zane two years before he met Meghan and the reason I know is because I was having drinks with one of his friends.

"She told me she'd been on a night out with Prince Harry. He was single at the time, so she said, 'Harry, who's your ideal girl?' And he said 'Meghan Markle from 'Suits'."

Prince Harry orchestrated a meeting between the pair in July 2016 through mutual friend Markus Anderson, and whilst they met up with "seven or eight" people, it was the "perfect opportunity" for the two to talk.

Katie revealed: "He asked Markus if he could set up, not a date, but an opportunity for them to meet and that happened in one of the private rooms of Soho House.

"There were about seven or eight of them altogether and it was a perfect opportunity for Harry and Meghan to come together in a really informal environment and actually talk.

"She was funny, feisty, confident and she wasn't swayed or knocked by the fact that he was Prince Harry. She thought he was terribly cute."

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.