"Meghan Markle's father Thomas Markle's lineage has been linked to Germany and Switzerland. Last year, Bunte magazine claimed that a Johann Markel left his home town of Offenburg in Baden-Württemberg in the late 18th century and moved to Pennsylvania.

However, a new DW investigation has revealed that Markle's ancestors might have actually come from Lampertsloch, a small commune in France, situated close to the German border.

The process of tracing Markle's roots is not straightforward. DW reporter Hendrik Welling's journey took him from the records of the New England Historic Genealogical Society to the regional archives in Strasbourg. His research uncovered evidence linking Markle's ancestors to the area of Lampertsloch. According to records, her forefather Heinrich Martin Merckel emigrated to the US and later changed the spelling of his name. "

Sauce: http:// www.dw.com/en/tracing-meghan-markles-german-roots/a-41574493

Merckel and Merkel are practically the same name.