Featured Image Credit: Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images
Topics: Meghan Markle, Royal Family, UK News, US News, Prince Harry, Social Media
Rhianna Benson
Topics: Meghan Markle, Royal Family, UK News, US News, Prince Harry, Social Media
Meghan Markle has once again sparked global debate this week regarding her official name, after she appeared to use an abandoned royal title in an official piece of correspondence.
The latest debacle comes just weeks after the Duchess revealed she no longer goes by 'Markle' - the surname she was given at birth - and actually goes by the same name as her husband and children.
Speaking to PEOPLE Magazine last month, Meghan revealed she, Prince Harry, son Archie, and daughter Lillibet have been using 'Sussex' as their official second name for some time.
She added that the title had been bestowed onto the couple by his grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, on their wedding day in 2018
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"It’s our shared name as a family," Meghan told the outlet. "And I guess I hadn’t recognised 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."
Days later, the 43-year-old corrected celebrity gal pal Mindy Khaling during an episode of her Netflix lifestyle series, With Love, Meghan, admitting she found it 'funny' that people still call her by her old name.
"It's so funny you keep saying Meghan Markle, you know I'm Sussex now," Meghan pointed out. "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'."
And as we say, the former Suits actress has sparked similar confusion this week, by seemingly referring to herself as a 'Royal Highness'.
Taking to Instagram, Meghan shared an image of an official message she'd recently received from Yulia Svyrydenko, a Ukrainian politician who thanked her for supporting her country during its ongoing war with Russia.
In the note, Svyrydenko refers to the Duchess as 'Your Royal Highness' - a title that was stripped of both she and 40-year-old husband Harry in 2020, when they officially resigned from their royal duties.
Discussing the title's use, right-wing royal correspondent Cameron Walker (of GB News) hit out: "Meghan and Harry should no longer use their royal titles because when they stood back as working members of the royal family, they agreed they would no longer use those titles."
Conservative commentator Lin Mei chined in on the discussion, adding: "She's always wanted to be a little princess hasn't she? But she doesn't want to do any of the work or uphold her behaviour in a way that would be deemed as appropriate as being a royal highness.
"You know Meghan, you can't have the best of both."
An insider told The Daily Beast, however, that the decision on what name to use is, ultimately, down to the Duchess herself.
"There were plenty of people at the time who said it was a mistake to make not using the title a mere gentleman’s agreement rather than just removing it," the insider allegedly explained.
"This post may not matter in and of itself, but it raises a bigger question: What are they going to do if she simply starts using her HRH again? She probably can’t be stopped as things stand right now.
"The bottom line is, she is, officially, an HRH. It was never removed."
In the months that followed their decision to resign from royal service, Meghan and Harry made a number of controversial claims against several members of the monarchy - as well as the British press - accusing both of maltreatment and prejudice.
The couple subsequently moved from the UK to the US to raise their children, where they've remained ever since.