The Duchess of Sussex recently revealed that she replaced her ‘Markle’ last name and is now going by Sussex, a decision she shares with Prince Harry and their two children, Archie and Lilibet.
The reveal played out on With Love, Meghan, the royal’s new Netflix series, when Mindy Kaling appeared as a guest and casually called her by her maiden name before Meghan gently corrected her.
“It’s so funny you keep saying Markle,” she laughed. “You know it’s Sussex now. You have kids, and you go, ‘No, I share my name with my children.’ And that feels so…I didn’t know how meaningful it would be, but it just means so much to go, ‘This is our family name, our little family name.”
For Meghan, the shift isn’t just about formality—it’s a way to feel connected to her family, she explained.
“It’s our shared name as a family,” she told People magazine. “I guess I hadn’t recognised how meaningful that would be to me until we had children.”
While it’s unclear if the world will be quick to know her as ‘Meghan Sussex’, the change would mean further distancing herself from her estranged father, Thomas Markle.
Since their royal wedding in 2018, followed by their decision to step away from royal life, Meghan and Prince Harry have been focused on raising their family in Montecito, California. Their children, officially Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet of Sussex, were initially known as “Master Archie Mountbatten-Windsor” and “Miss Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor” before King Charles III‘s ascension to the throne.
With Love, Meghan is set to premiere this week, following a delay in release due to the wildfires that ravaged Southern California. Featuring friendly guests and plenty of tips and tricks, the show promises an intimate look at life in the Sussex home.
