Why Prince Harry changed his surname as old one is revealed
Topics: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, Prince Archie, Princess Lilibet, Royal Family, King Charles III, The Queen
Ella Scott
Featured Image Credit: Samir Hussein/WireImage
Topics: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, Prince Archie, Princess Lilibet, Royal Family, King Charles III, The Queen
This is the reason why Prince Harry changed his surname, with the revelation being made in his wife's new lifestyle series.
During the second episode of Meghan Markle's new Netflix programme, With Love, Meghan, she informed actress Mindy Kaling that she no longer goes by Markle.
Instead, she insisted that The Office star call her by her actual surname - Sussex.
"It’s so funny, too, that you keep saying Meghan Markle. You know I’m Sussex now,” she said.
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“‘I share my name with my children. I didn’t know how meaningful that would be to me, but it just means so much to go, ‘This is our family name, our little family name’.”
This moment sparked mass conversation online, causing many to question whether Sussex really is Meghan and Prince Harry’s family name, and, if so, when did it change?
Born on September 15, 1984, Harry was christened Henry Charles Albert David.
As per royal tradition, he did not have a last name written on his birth certificate, despite the name Mountbatten-Windsor applying to direct descendants of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Typically, when royal children are born, they use their parent’s surnames, which in turn are based on their official titles.
Once an official title is bestowed on a child, they will then change their surname to match.
So instead of Harry Mountbatten-Windsor, Harry was given the surname Wales, due to his parents Princess Diana and Prince Charles (now King Charles III) being the Princess and Prince of Wales, respectively.
Hello! Magazine reports that on the morning Harry said ‘I do’ to Meghan in May 2018, he was bestowed the title of the Duke of Sussex by his grandmother, Elizabeth.
Due to finally getting his own title, Harry finally shed his parents' Wales surname, replacing it with his own title, Sussex.
When Meghan married Harry, she became the Duchess of Sussex, thus losing her Markle surname to become Meghan Sussex.
Interestingly though, it’s understood that when the couple’s son Prince Archie was born in May 2019, he was listed as Master Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor on his birth certificate.
It’s also said that when their daughter Lilibet was born, her official name was listed as Miss Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor. However, their surnames officially changed when their great-grandmother Elizabeth died in September 2022.
Upon his mother’s death, Prince Charles immediately succeeded her, becoming King Charles III. His automatic appointment as monarch caused Archie and Lilibet to move up the line of succession.
Therefore, due to legislation put in place by King George V in 1917, both Archie and Lilibet were finally bestowed Prince and Princess titles, much like their cousins Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.
Following Lilibet’s christening in March 2023, the palace website was updated to reflect the new line of succession.
It was also stipulated that Archie and Lilibet were now known as Prince Archie Sussex and Princess Lilibet Sussex.
It’s also important to note that although Harry and Meghan relinquished their duties as active Royals in 2020, the pair can’t lose their Sussex titles unless this is actioned through legislation.
So, until someone says otherwise, the couple and their children make up The Sussexes.