Meghan Markle recently made a surprising clarification about her surname.
In her new Netflix show, With Love, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex interrupted Mindy Kaling after being called “Meghan Markle.” She corrected her by saying, “You know I’m Sussex now.”
Now, royal expert Jennie Bond weighed in on the matter, calling Meghan’s public correction of Mindy “a pointed remark.”
“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,” she told Mirror.
Jennie added, “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.”
However, she acknowledged other royal brides have also adopted their titles as surnames, saying, “She’s perfectly entitled to use the name Sussex, just as other royal brides have adopted part of their titles as a surname, for example, Sophie Wessex. It’s all rather confusing really, especially as titles change, either when someone dies or a new title is bestowed.”
Jennie pointed out that Prince William and Prince Harry “adopted the surname Wales in their military careers”, making Meghan Markle’s choice neither unusual nor improper.
“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,” Jennie noted.
