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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were generously given their Sussex title after their wedding in 2018, but it's now up for debate whether they could potentially lose it.
In January 2020, the former royals stepped back from their official duties before moving to Southern California, but have kept their titles as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
The pair previously launched their website, which heavily traded on their Sussex title, and they've used it widely for projects including Prince Harry's 2023 autobiography 'Spare' and for Meghan's own projects - including her new Netflix series 'With Love, Meghan'.
In the second episode of the eight-part series, Meghan is seen speaking to actress Mindy Kaling, as the pair discuss the Sussex name. In the episode Meghan said: "It's so funny you keep saying Meghan Markle. You know I'm 'Sussex' now," before going on to explain its significance.
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"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,'" she said.
Meghan had previously told People that it became more important to her after becoming a mother, explaining: "It's our shared name as a family, and I guess I hadn't recognised how meaningful that would be to me until we had children."
However, there have been rumours the couple could have the name 'stripped' with many critiquing the use of it by Meghan, especially as Harry's own surname is, in fact, Windsor. Windsor is also their children Archie and Lilibet's official surname too.
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams has now waded in on the debate as he revealed to The Express his views on whether Meghan and Harry could be stripped of their titles.
He explained: "The only way the title could be removed would be by an Act of Parliament which is highly improbable.
"In that unlikely case, Harry would still be a prince as he was born one."
He added that Meghan is allowed to use their royal title as a surname, and, in fact, it's quite common for members of the royal family to do this.
However, he did reveal that he believes Meghan is 'maximising' her use of the Sussex title, as he shared: "Meghan has made abundantly clear how fond she is of her title recently. She is intent on maximising something which she knows has value."
His comments come after Meghan has recently released her new TV series on Netflix, which has already been commissioned for a second series by the streaming platform. In the lifestyle and cooking show, she heavily uses her Sussex title as a surname and even used it during a TV appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show.
Meghan's Netflix series was initially supposed to air at the beginning of the year, but was then halted due to the devastating wildfires that swept across California, where Meghan, Prince Harry, and their two children reside.
Meghan took to Instagram on January 12 to share her gratitude for delaying the air date, stating: "I'm thankful to my partners at Netflix for supporting me in delaying the launch, as we focus on the needs of those impacted by the wildfires in my home state of California."
The series launched March 4, and quickly made the top ten on Netflix within 24 hours of its launch.
Topics: Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, Royal Family, Netflix
Niamh Spence