Meghan ‘Markle’ sets the record regarding her name straight once and for all

Meghan Markle recently spoke about her royal title during an unexpected guest appearance on MasterChef Australia.

The Duchess of Sussex, aged 44, participated alongside the judges and contestants in the July 26 episode of the well-known cooking show, which was filmed during her and Prince Harry’s visit to Australia in April.

After judge Poh Ling Yeow introduced her as “the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle,” she turned to Meghan and inquired how she should be addressed.

“Should we call you Duchess?” she asked.

“Oh, just call me Meghan,” was Meghan’s response.

The name that holds the most significance for her

This moment wasn’t entirely surprising, as Meghan and Harry have consistently preferred to use their first names in public rather than their formal titles, even though they still hold the Duke and Duchess of Sussex titles given to them by the late Queen Elizabeth II on their wedding day in 2018.

However, the question of her surname is one Meghan has previously addressed and clearly feels passionate about.

In her Netflix lifestyle series With Love, a mild controversy arose when guest Mindy Kaling kept referring to her as “Meghan Markle.”

Meghan kindly corrected her.

“It’s amusing that you keep saying Meghan Markle. You know I’m Sussex now,” she remarked, before elaborating on why the name is so significant to her.

“I share my name with my children. I didn’t realize how meaningful that would be, but it truly means a lot to say, ‘This is our family name, our little family name.'”

Meghan officially changed her name when she married Harry in 2018 and is recognized as Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, with Sussex being her family name.

The episode also included a surprise visit from Prince Harry, who appeared alongside his wife during the MasterChef filming.

While there have been ongoing calls for the couple’s titles to be revoked since their departure from senior royal duties in 2020, any such action would necessitate an Act of Parliament and would not be a simple process.