Meghan Markle has finally addressed lingering questions about her full legal name, just months after sparking speculation when she began using her new surname publicly.
The Duchess of Sussex appeared this week on The Circuit with Emily Chang on YouTube, timed to the release of the second season of her Netflix series With Love, Meghan (August 26). During the wide-ranging conversation, Meghan reflected on her evolving sense of authenticity since stepping away from life as a working royal.
She admitted that in her early years as a duchess she often felt pressured to conform, sharing a lighthearted example: “It was different several years ago when I couldn’t be as vocal and I had to wear nude pantyhose all the time. Let’s be honest, that was not very myself. I hadn’t seen pantyhose since movies in the ’80s when they came in the little egg. That felt a little bit inauthentic. And that’s just a silly example.”
The 43-year-old mother of two, who married Prince Harry in 2018, said those small details pointed to a larger truth about finding her voice. “When you’re able to dress the way you want, to say the things you want that are true, and show up authentically, that’s being comfortable in your own skin,” she explained. “Of course, I’ve had different chapters in my life. But right now, I don’t feel I need to prove anything.”
Naturally, the conversation soon turned to her name; a topic that drew global curiosity earlier this year when she revealed that her family of four now uses the surname “Sussex.” In With Love, Meghan, she joked with friend Mindy Kaling about the transition. After Kaling repeatedly referred to her as “Meghan Markle,” Meghan corrected her, laughing: “It’s so funny you keep saying Meghan Markle. You know I’m Sussex now.”
For Meghan, the change reflects family unity more than formality. “You have kids and you go, ‘No, I share my name with my children,’” she told Chang. “I didn’t know how meaningful it would be to me, but it just means so much to say, ‘This is OUR family name. Our little family name.’”
Still, she clarified that the rules around titles can be confusing. “When I got married, I changed my name. But it is a complicated one for people to understand because a last name is not typical in that construct,” she explained. Legally, she confirmed, her full name is Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. But informally, “Sussex works for us as our family name and it’s the name we share with our children.”
Smiling, she admitted it can sound “silly” when she tries to explain the distinction. “It’s a dukedom, that’s the truth of it. But at the end of the day, it’s who we are as a family. And yes, since we’ve been married, that’s what I’ve been called.”