Meghan Markle has been married to Prince Harry for seven years, and royal fans are still confused about her last name.
The Duchess of Sussex tried to clear up the confusion in an Aug. 26 interview with Bloomberg, but it’s definitely “complicated” for those of us who aren’t in the royal family.
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“When I got married, I changed my name,” she told reporter Emily Chang. “But it’s a complicated one for people to understand because a last name is not typical in that construct.”
Her husband’s name is Henry Charles Albert David, but their title is a “dukedom.”
“That’s the truth of it. My legal name is Meghan Duchess of Sussex,” Meghan continued. “Sussex for us works as our family name, and it’s the name that we share with our children.”
Meghan Markle
Viewers of the first season of With Love, Meghan on Netflix were stunned to learn that her official name was “Meghan Sussex.” On the Mindy Kaling episode, the actress called her “Meghan Markle.”
“It’s so funny, too, that you keep saying, ‘Meghan Markle,’” the Duchess of Sussex said with a smile to Kaling. “You know, I’m Sussex now.“
The moment was a little awkward, but it brought up a conversation about royal last names. Kaling talked about that Netflix moment during a visit on The View on March 6 — and she wasn’t even fazed by it.
“We were making sandwiches, and then they’ll push in on my face on TikTok and they’ll be like, ‘Look at this emotion you felt,’ and I honestly didn’t even remember it,” she said honestly.
The official royal website has an explanation for us non-royals, too: “Members of the Royal Family can be known both by the name of the Royal house, and by a surname, which are not always the same, and often they do not use a surname at all.”
When Prince Harry and Prince William were kids, they were referred to as Harry Wales and William Wales because that was their parents’ title: Prince and Princess of Wales. It’s hard to comprehend for Americans because their last names change frequently as they ascend higher toward the throne. And that’s something Meghan empathizes with as an American.
“I get it because I’m American,” Meghan summed up to Bloomberg. “I went there and I started to understand, then you come back and as an American, you go, ‘I’m so confused.’”
The royal confusion never ends!
Before you go, click here to see every time Meghan Markle reminded us of Princess Diana:
Meghan Markle, Princess Diana
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