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Meghan Markle surprised audiences of her latest Netflix show by announcing a pretty significant name change. Speaking to friend Mindy Kaling, she stated that she goes by the last name Sussex now, but is there more to this decision than meets the eye?
The reason the duchess gave for the sudden change was that she wanted to “share my name with my children,” which is a rather touching explanation. However, not everyone was buying Meghan’s story as certain vocal figures thought that she shouldn’t have the right to use the name, while some wondered if there were ulterior motives that might be more closely linked to the royal family. Was taking the Sussex name meant as some sort of veiled message to Meghan’s in-laws across the pond? Some have theorized that this could be the case.
Meghan fires ‘a warning shot’ at the royal family
Royal source, Richard Eden, told the Daily Mail that the change was “clearly a warning shot” directed at the royal family. While Harry and Meghan can no longer use their HRH titles, due to stepping down from royal duties back in 2020, they are still able to use the Duke and Duchess of Sussex titles which were given to them by Queen Elizabeth II on their wedding day.
Speaking on the Daily Mail’s Palace Confidential podcast, Eden stated that the royal family “interpret this as a warning shot. That it’s Meghan saying ‘Don’t you think of stripping us of our titles’.” So rather than being a sweet way of Meghan connecting with her children, the supporters of the palace residents have interpreted it as a more malicious move on Meghan’s part, calling it her trick of clinging to her royal title just to get under the royal family’s skin.
Eden goes on to label the Sussexes paranoid, citing a previous example from when Archie was born where they believed their son was going to be denied a title, “Meghan went on to say, to suggest, that she thought that was because he was mixed race.” But the reality was that only grand-children of the sovereign receive royal titles, and at that point, Archie was a great-grandchild, now that Charles is king, Archie has the right to the title.
Is this really the reason for the name change?
Meanwhile, royal expert Jennie Bond told the Mirror that Meghan, “makes a fair argument: that some women feel it’s important for the family to have a shared surname.” Bond defends the duchess’s decision to change her name, although she admits that personally she doesn’t see why women are expected to change their name.
“Meghan is quite within her rights to adopt a married name of Sussex and also use this for the children. I don’t think she’s particularly trying to cling to her royal connections – more that she is celebrating the bond with her husband and children.”
Meghan frequently gets accused of intentionally starting dramatics with the royal family, but there’s not a whole lot of evidence to really prove that this is what she’s doing here.