Duchess says her family uses “Sussex” as their surname
Meghan has finally addressed the long-running debate over her name. In a new interview released alongside the second season of her Netflix show, she clarified that her legal title is Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.
The subject came up during a conversation with journalist Emily Chang, who asked her directly what name she uses in an official sense. Meghan explained that while her legal title does not include a surname, she and Harry often use “Sussex” as a family name with their children.
This is not the first time she has made the point. During the first season of With Love, Meghan, she gently corrected her friend Mindy Kaling after the actress referred to her as “Meghan Markle.” She explained then that she had taken the name Sussex after her marriage.
Her remarks have not been without controversy. Critics argue she has little connection to the county of Sussex, which she has visited only once, and note that technically her children’s surname is Mountbatten-Windsor. Meghan did not reference that name in her interview.
Acknowledging the confusion, she said royal titles are “a complicated one for people to understand” because they don’t follow the usual rules of surnames. She added:
“When I got married I changed my name, but our last name is not typical as a construct. At the end of the day, my name is Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. But Sussex works as our family name and it’s the name we share with our children. Since I’ve been married, that’s what I’ve been called.”
