Meghan Markle has confirmed how officials at the Invictus Games should correctly address her, with her response far from what a former senior royal would be referred to.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are currently in Canada for the one-year countdown event for next year’s Invictus Games in Vancouver and Whistler.
When speaking to Scott Moore, who is a veteran Canadian broadcaster and the new CEO for the Invictus Games, the couple are said to have clarified how exactly he is to address them.
As revealed in Richard Eden’s column for the Daily Mail, he said: “I did make sure to ask how I should be addressing them when they get here. I was told a simple ‘Sir’ and ‘Ma’am’ is fine.”
The monikers are how members of the public are instructed to greet members of the Royal Family. Male members of the Firm should be greeted ‘Your Royal Highness’ in the first instance and subsequently ‘Sir’. For female members, it’s ‘Your Royal Highness’ and then ‘Ma’am’.
But Harry and Meghan cannot be referred to as Your Royal Highness, as following their decision to step down as senior working royals they were stripped of their HRH titles. They were however allowed to keep their Duke and Duchess of Sussex title.
The decision to be addressed as Sir and Ma’am is also in stark contrast to Harry’s decision in 2020, when he asked for delegates at a tourism conference in Edinburgh to address him simply as Harry. Ahead of the short speech, event host Ayesha Hazarika told the gathering: “He’s made it clear that we are all just to call him Harry.”
Meghan and Harry are on a three-day visit to Canada and will staying there until Friday, February 16.
During their visit, the couple are set to meet veterans and members of the Armed Forces of multiple countries participating in the Games.
The area is familiar territory to the couple, who first moved to Canada after stepping down as working royals in 2020. The Duchess of Sussex also lived in Canada while filming for the legal drama Suits, where she portrayed the character of Rachel Zane.
Their visit to Canada also marks their first engagement together since the launch of their brand-new website, sussex.com, earlier this week.
On February 14, the couple spent Valentine’s Day hitting the slopes – with body language expert Judi James claiming that it was Meghan taking centre stage.
The upcoming 2025 Games will feature various events including snowboarding, alpine skiing, wheelchair curling, and skeleton.
Harry and Meghan’s latest appearance also comes just over a week after news of King Charles’s cancer diagnosis.
Harry flew to the UK last week to spend just 30 minutes with his father at Clarence House on February 6.
Harry was then spotted at Heathrow Airport the following day, ready to catch a flight home to Meghan and their two children, Prince Archie, four, and Princess Lilibet, two.
Meghan made the decision to remain at home whilst Harry flew to solo to the UK to visit his father.
