Meghan Markle Changed Her Last Name (& It's All Very Confusing)

After much delay and fanfare, Meghan Markle finally got her lifestyle brand — the oft-renamed As Ever — off the ground, as well as premiered her Netflix show, "With Love, Meghan," on March 4. But there was something else the Duchess of Sussex was rebranding: her own name. On the second episode of "With Love, Meghan," the titular host corrected friend Mindy Kaling when "The Office" star kept referring to her as "Meghan Markle."

In a cute yet casual moment, Kaling quipped, "People wouldn't believe that Meghan Markle ate at Jack in the Box." To which Markle could be seen bristling before responding with, "It's so funny, too, that you keep saying Meghan Markle. You know I'm Sussex now." Ever the accommodating guest, Kaling took it in stride while letting Markle — or rather, Sussex — continue. "I didn't know how meaningful [sharing a last name] would be to me, but it just means so much to go, this is our family name, our little family name."

However, considering how often Meghan and Prince Harry have snubbed the royal family, it's surprising that she's adamant about the name change. With Harry having to bat back swirling divorce rumors, it could be that Meghan wants to solidify her place in the family. But her actions are still leaving a bad taste for fans of the royals.

While Meghan Markle insists that her last name is simply Sussex, it seems that many royal followers are taking this assumption personally. According to the Daily Mail, the Duchess of Sussex technically has no official last name as a royal family member who married in. Her children, though, do all share the last name of Sussex — similar to how Prince Harry's surname growing up was Wales. But there's also one more wrench in all of this: there is an actual surname Meghan could have adopted after her marriage to Prince Harry, and it's not Sussex. Harry's last name is technically Mountbatten-Windsor. To make matters even more complicated, Meghan and Harry have only visited Sussex once since 2018.

Luckily, Meghan spoke to People to clear up some of the confusion. Apparently the royals use their official titles like last names. So, since Meghan's title is the Duchess of Sussex, using Sussex as just her last name also works. However, with Meghan and Harry relocating to the United States and rescinding much of their royal duties, there's been much outcry for them to be fully stripped of their formal titles. Considering what will happen to Meghan and Harry when Prince William eventually becomes King, it makes sense why Meghan has amped up messaging around her name change.

While appearing on "The Drew Barrymore Show," Meghan Markle was introduced by host Drew Barrymore as Meghan Sussex. According to People, this is Meghan's first talk show appearance in three years, and it certainly made a splash. In her "Fast Five" segment, where Barrymore properly introduced the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan answers a series of questions regarding the last time she was surprised. One of the moments involved how her children pronounce "zebra" and led into a perfect place for Meghan to chat about why the name change is so vital to her.

Whereas it's incredibly important to Meghan and Prince Harry to preserve the privacy of their children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, it's becoming part of what Meghan refers to as her ongoing love story with Harry. Apparently Archie and Lilibet use Sussex as their last name. "It's our shared name as a family, and I guess I hadn't recognized how meaningful that would be to me until we had children," Meghan divulged to People. She continued by admitting the surname is "part of our love story." Considering how Meghan and Harry met (or almost didn't meet), it is nice to see them continue to grow as a family together. If only we could keep all their names and titles straight.