Meghan Markle has stirred up global discussion once again this week over the use of her official name—this time, for seemingly using a royal title that she and Prince Harry gave up years ago in an official document.
This latest controversy follows shortly after Meghan publicly shared that she no longer uses “Markle,” the last name she was born with. Instead, she and her family have adopted “Sussex” as their shared surname.
In an interview with PEOPLE Magazine last month, Meghan explained that she, Prince Harry, and their children—Archie and Lilibet—have been going by “Sussex” as their family name for some time now.
She also noted that the title was originally granted to the couple by Queen Elizabeth II on their wedding day in 2018.
“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.”
A few days later, the 43-year-old corrected her friend, actress Mindy Kaling, during an episode of her Netflix lifestyle series With Love, Meghan, saying she finds it amusing that people still refer to her by her maiden 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’.”
Now, the former Suits star has sparked more confusion after appearing to be addressed using the title “Your Royal Highness”—a style that was officially removed from both her and Harry in 2020 when they stepped back from their royal roles.
On Instagram, Meghan recently posted a photo of a formal message she received from Yulia Svyrydenko, a Ukrainian politician, who thanked her for her support during the ongoing conflict with Russia.
In the letter, Svyrydenko refers to Meghan as “Your Royal Highness”, a title that she no longer officially holds—raising fresh questions about how Meghan identifies herself in formal settings.
In a heated debate over royal titles, right-wing royal correspondent Cameron Walker of GB News criticized the Sussexes, stating: “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 also weighed in, saying: “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.”
However, a royal insider told The Daily Beast that, at the end of the day, the choice of whether or not to use the title is Meghan’s own decision.
“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 reportedly said. “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 after stepping back from royal duties, Meghan and Harry stirred controversy by making several bold accusations—targeting both the royal family and the British media—alleging mistreatment and discrimination.
Not long after, the couple relocated from the UK to the US to raise their children, and they’ve continued to live there ever since.