The Duchess of Sussex has revealed her full legal name, months after sparking debate over her use of “Sussex” as a family surname. Appearing on YouTube’s The Circle with Emily Chang to promote the new season of her Netflix show With Love, Meghan, which premiered on 26 August, Meghan spoke openly about adjusting to life beyond the formality of the royal household.
She admitted that during her early years as a working royal, she often felt “inauthentic.” Reflecting on small but symbolic details, she recalled being required to wear nude pantyhose at all times: “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 a silly example.”
The mother-of-two, who married Prince Harry in 2018, said those years taught her the importance of being comfortable in her own skin. “When you’re able to dress the way you want, say the things you want that are true, and show up authentically — that’s when you’re at ease with yourself,” she explained. “Of course, I have had different chapters in my life. But right now I don’t feel I need to prove anything.”
Clearing up confusion around her surname
The conversation soon turned to Meghan’s name — a topic that has drawn public attention since she spoke earlier this year about wanting her family of four to share the same surname.
During her Netflix series, she told actress Mindy Kaling that she prefers “Sussex” as a family identifier. “It’s so funny you keep saying Meghan Markle, you know I’m Sussex now,” she said. “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.’”
Pressed further by host Emily Chang on whether “Sussex” was truly her legal last name, Meghan clarified the distinction. “Well, 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 said.
Finally settling the matter, she confirmed: “It’s a dukedom — and that’s the truth of it. But at the end of the day, yes, my legal name is Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. Sussex works for us as our family name and it is the name we share with our children. Since we’ve been married that’s what I’ve been called.”
