Meghan Markle has been widely known as the Duchess of Sussex since May 2018. After stepping down as a senior working royal two years later – in early 2020 – the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were forced to stop using their HRH titles – but were granted permission to still use their Sussex title.
Meghan, 43, has frequently used the Sussex name – even correcting her friend Mindy Kaling in an episode from her highly-anticipated Netflix series, With Love, Meghan, last month.
Mindy, who is known for her role in NBC sitcom The Office, appeared as a guest on Meghan’s series – where she referred to her as ‘Meghan Markle’
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Meghan then told her, “It’s so funny you keep saying, Meghan Markle. You know, I’m Sussex now.”
Speaking about the importance of using the Sussex name, Meghan referred to how special it felt to have the same name as her two children, Prince Archie, 5, and Princess Lilibet, 3.
The Duchess of Sussex added: “You have kids and you go ‘No, I share my name with my children.’ I didn’t know how meaningful it would be to me but it just means so much to go ‘This is our family name. Our little family name.'”
Following the release of the show on March 4, Meghan’s surname was once again in the spotlight after she appeared on the Drew Barrymore show. The host referred to her as “Meghan Sussex” – which was the first time she was addressed in that manner publicly.
Meghan Markle has since received backlash after sharing a message on Instagram that addressed herself and or Prince Harry with the title “Your Royal Highness” – despite the term being banned after they quit as senior working royals in 2020.
Meghan, who made her return to Instagram back in January, published a letter from Ukraine’s vice president this weekend that began, “Your Royal Highness, I would like to express my sincere thanks for everything your family is doing for Ukraine.”
After the couple made the decision to step down from royal duties, a statement from Buckingham Palace was released, which read: “The Sussexes will not use their HRH titles as they are no longer working members of the Royal Family.”