Meghan Markle has made a bold change โ sheโs no longer Meghan Markle.
In a surprising twist, the Duchess of Sussex has adopted โSussexโ as her new last name, following suit with her husband, Prince Harry, and their children, Archie and Lilibet.
A new name
Meghan Markleโs new Netflix series,ย With Love, Meghan, is making waves, not just for its lifestyle tips but also for reigniting discussions about royal names and branding. The Duchess of Sussex raised eyebrows on the show when she revealed that โSussexโ is now her last name. But does this departure from tradition challenge royal conventions?
This whole story began whenย Meghan Markleย corrected Mindy Kaling on her new show,ย With Love, Meghan, after Kaling referred to the duchess by her maiden name. โItโs so funny you keep saying Markle,โ Meghan said.
โYou know itโs Sussex now. You have kids and you go, I share my name with my children. I didnโt know how meaningful it would be to me, but it just means so much to go, this is our family name. Our little family now.โ
Meghan shared a similar sentiment in a recent interview withย People.
She and Harry were given the titles of Duke and Duchess of Sussex by the late Queen Elizabeth II when they married. According to the Royal Familyโs official website, their childrenโs titles areย Prince Archieย and Princess Lilibet of Sussex.
Meghan explained, โItโs our shared name as a family, and I guess I hadnโt recognized how meaningful that would be to me until we had children. I love that that is something that Archie, Lili, H, and I all have together. It means a lot to me.โ
Meghan described the Sussex name as โa part of our love story.โ
So far, it seems that Meghan has used โSussexโ as her last name in more informal settings, such as when she spoke with Mindy Kaling and onย The Drew Barrymore Show. When she appeared onย The Drew Barrymore Showย to talk about her new projects on March 6, Drew Barrymore introduced her guest by referring to her as โMeghan Sussex.โ
โThis is the Fast Five with Meghan Sussex,โ Barrymore said, kicking off the segment.
Why its raising eyebrows
Although the former Suits star is still formally known as the Duchess of Sussex, this marked the first time she was publicly addressed as โMeghan Sussex.โ The name change, however, hasnโt come without criticism from royal fans. Meghanโs decision to adopt Sussex as her surname has raised eyebrows, with many questioning it due to her limited ties to the county. Some have even suggested that her proper last name should be โMountbatten-Windsor.โ
One royal fanย remarked, โHer name is NOT Meghan Sussex. Her name is technically Rachel Mountbatten-Windsor. Sussex is a county in England & part of a courtesy title โ NOT her last name.โ
Another fan was surprised by how Meghan corrected her friend, saying, โSo who criticizes a guest like that? And her last name is not Sussex. Wouldnโt it be Mountbatten-Windsor?โ
A third commenter wrote, โโDuchess of Sussexโ is a courtesy title she holds only through her marriage. It is not her surname, and Iโm quite sure she doesnโt have โMeghan Sussexโ on her California driverโs license. Legally, her last name should be Mountbatten-Windsor.โ
Meghanโs father, Thomas Markle,ย also expressed disappointment, criticizing Meghan for distancing herself from the Markle name, which he believes would upset his late mother.
Heย shared, โMy mum loved Meghan very much but she would be so disappointed to hear that Meghan no longer wants to use the name โMarkle.โ My mother was proud to be a Markle. So am I.โ
He also took issue with Meghanโs presentation on the show, claiming she seemed inauthentic and too focused on perfection.
The couple has been estranged since 2018, after Thomas missed Meghanโs wedding. While some support Thomas, others believe his constant media presence might be why Meghan keeps her distance.
A challenge of royal conventions?
Thereโs no problem with Meghan using โMeghan Sussexโ as her name.
In fact, many members of the royal family use their titles as surnames. According toย Debrettโs, โThe Duke and Duchess of Sussex can, and do, use โSussexโ as their surname. This follows the tradition when Prince Harry used โWalesโ as his surname while serving in the army, reflecting his status as the son of the Prince of Wales. Now that heโs the Duke of Sussex, his wife and children are also entitled to use โSussexโ as their surname.โ
Given the mediaโs continued use of her maiden name, as seen in her feature in People, itโs likely that Meghan will still be called Meghan Markle for the foreseeable future.
Meghanโs decision to use โSussexโ as her last name has really got people talking. While some are all for it, others think itโs a bit much since her ties to the county arenโt exactly strong.
And letโs not forget about the whole โMountbatten-Windsorโ debate โ thereโs always something to stir the pot, isnโt there? What do you think about all this?
