Reason why Meghan Markle changed her surname after Oprah ‘mocks’ it

Royal fans will no doubt have caught light of Oprah Winfrey's recent remarks made about her pals, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, regarding their 'Sussex' surname.

Now, the whole 'Sussex' surname thing was brought up once again following the 71-year-old talk show host's comments made on Kelly Ripa's Let's Talk Off Camera podcast.

During her podcast appearance, Oprah said that Harry, 40, and Meghan, 43, had contacted her around Easter-time to ask for her help in relocating a group of ducklings as their 'pond is a stream'.

Kelly then asked the former talk show host whether she'd appreciate it if someone gifted her baby chicks one day to which she joked back: "I'd run them straight to the Sussexes."

She then repeated the couple's surname again, but instead slurred the 's' and added a couple more 'x's' to as a joke due to the moniker's apparently tricky pronunciation.

Oprah Winfrey has made headlines this week following remarks made concerning her long-time friends, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (Netflix)

However, she made it clear that she meant no harm with her comments, and a spokesperson for the Sussexes has since dismissed rumours that the couple weren't happy with her, saying it was 'categorically untrue'.

But, why did Meghan and Harry change their surname to the royal 'Sussex' title despite stepping down as working senior members of the Royal Family back in 2020?

Earlier this year in March, Meghan explained that she, her husband and their two children - son Archie, six, and three-year-old daughter Lilibet, - had secretly been using the surname 'Sussex' for some time.

In an interview with PEOPLE, she said that the name had been given to them by the late Queen Elizabeth II on their wedding day.

"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," the Duchess said.

Oprah made it clear she meant no harm by the light-hearted comment (Matt Winkelmeyer / Staff / Getty Images)

"I love that that is something that Archie, Lili, H and I all have together."

Meghan also echoed such sentiments in an episode of her Netflix lifestyle series As Ever, Meghan. In what became a viral moment, she corrected actress Mindy Kaling for incorrectly referring to her as 'Markle'.

"It's so funny you keep saying Meghan Markle, you know I'm Sussex now," she told The Office US star. "You have kids and you go 'No, I share my name with my children'.

Meghan added: "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'."