The Duchess raised eyebrows when she very publicly announced her new Sussex surname – and according to a royal insider, she was sending a clear message to The Firm
Meghan Markle sent a ‘warning’ shot to the royal family when she publicly announced her new Sussex surname, according to a Palace insider.
Meghan raised eyebrows when she declared on her Netflix show that she no longer goes by Markle but Sussex – in a nod to her royal title, the Duchess of Sussex. She then doubled down on her statement on the Drew Barrymore Show, where she was introduced as ‘Meghan Sussex’.
It has led many royal watchers to question why she made the change. And according to a royal source, Meghan is sending a major message.
The Daily Mail’s Richard Eden wrote: “‘It’s clearly a warning shot,’ one palace insider told me, confirming that Meghan seemed to be making a very public point of emphasising how much the title meant to her and, by implication, to Harry. Which is to say that the Royal Family should not so much as contemplate stripping them of their titles!”
He continued: “This is a course of action that has been mooted many times since Meghan and Harry abandoned royal duties five years ago, eventually moving to California to seek their fortune.
“There have been calls to strip Meghan and Harry of their titles whenever they have betrayed and insulted the Firm. And royal sources have suggested that it could be very much a sanction should the couple publish any more tell-all books about the Windsors or agree to further explosive Oprah Winfrey-style interviews.
Harry and Meghan no longer use their HRH titles in their business deals – but can still use the Duke and Duchess of Sussex titles given to them on their wedding day, despite no longer carrying out royal duties.
Meghan first spoke about her Sussex surname on her Netflix show With Love, Meghan, when she corrected friend and actress Mindy Kaling. As the pair discuss fast food in the second episode, Mindy says: “People wouldn’t believe that Meghan Markle ate at Jack in the Box.”
Meghan promptly replied: “It’s so funny, too, that you keep saying Meghan Markle. You know I’m Sussex now. 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’.”
According to royal expert Jennie Bond, it was a very telling moment. The former BBC royal correspondent told the Mirror: “I thought it was rather a pointed remark to make so publicly to a friend – she could have just halted the filming for a moment and privately corrected her guest. But she makes a fair argument: that some women feel it’s important for the family to have a shared surname.
“As it happens, I don’t. I’ve never understood why a woman should be expected to change her name just because she marries. But I’m probably in the minority.”
Jennie further explained that while some royal fans don’t believe Meghan should use the Sussex name, she is entitled to do so – and is actually carrying on a long-standing royal tradition.
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