Meghan Markle has once again decided to rewrite reality, this time by seemingly adopting a new last name.
In her Netflix series With Love, Meghan, which no one particularly asked for, she corrected Mindy Kaling when Mindy referred to her as "Meghan Markle." With a confident yet smug smile, Meghan interjected, “It’s funny you keep saying Meghan Markle—you know I’m Sussex now.” Poor Mindy looked utterly bewildered, and who could blame her? That fleeting moment was probably the most interesting five seconds in an otherwise excruciating five-hour borefest.
Now, I may not be a royal historian, but even I know that "Sussex" is a title, not a surname. It would be like me deciding my last name is "YouTuber" just because I post videos. It’s completely absurd. Thankfully, someone with actual aristocratic knowledge stepped in to set the record straight—Lord Ivar Mountbatten. Unlike Meghan, he actually understands royal naming conventions. In an interview with Town & Country magazine, he clarified that Meghan was entirely mistaken. Her family name is not Sussex; it is Mountbatten-Windsor.
Finally, someone with genuine royal expertise dismantled this fantasy. Lord Mountbatten, a direct descendant of Queen Victoria, pointed out that Meghan and Harry’s children, Archie and Lilibet, also bear the surname Mountbatten-Windsor, not Sussex. They are not “Archie Sussex” and “Lilibet Sussex” because Sussex is a title, not a last name. He explained that while Harry and Meghan hold the Duke and Duchess of Sussex titles, their proper names remain Harry Mountbatten-Windsor and Meghan Mountbatten-Windsor. Yet, Meghan seems determined to rewrite history and royal protocol to suit her personal narrative.
Meanwhile, as Meghan plays fast and loose with royal traditions, Prince William and Princess Catherine continue to serve with grace and dignity. While William and Catherine dedicate themselves to their duties, Meghan appears more focused on inventing new surnames and expecting the world to follow along. Can you imagine Catherine ever attempting such a stunt? Of course not. She respects the responsibilities and traditions that come with being a member of the royal family. She upholds them, rather than trying to manipulate them for personal branding.
And where is Prince Harry in all of this? Likely in their Montecito mansion, nodding along to whatever Meghan tells him. It’s truly heartbreaking to see how far he has fallen. Once a beloved royal known for his charm, humor, and strong bond with his brother, he now seems reduced to a shadow of his former self, cut off from his family and apparently answering to "Sussex" as if it were a real surname.
What makes this situation even more frustrating is Meghan’s constant victim narrative. She claims she wanted to escape royal life, rejecting the endless engagements, ribbon-cuttings, and hospital visits. Yet, she clings to royal status whenever it benefits her brand. She didn’t want the responsibility of being a working royal, but she certainly enjoys the financial perks that come with the title. And let’s not forget how she and Harry initially insisted on privacy, claiming they couldn’t handle the scrutiny—only to then plaster their personal lives all over Netflix, Spotify (until that deal flopped), and any other platform that would pay them.
While Catherine bravely battles cancer with resilience and dignity, Meghan launches yet another vanity project and stirs up unnecessary drama over a surname. The contrast could not be more striking. One woman faces a real challenge with quiet strength, while the other manufactures controversy just to remain in the headlines.
Even celebrities like Drew Barrymore seem to be falling into Meghan’s PR trap. Drew recently referred to Meghan as "Meghan Sussex" after watching the Netflix series. And while Drew is undoubtedly well-meaning, this is exactly what Meghan wants—to create confusion until people start using her made-up last name, eventually making it stick. It’s a calculated strategy, and it’s as transparent as glass.
What’s particularly revealing is that Meghan never made this “Sussex” surname claim while she was still a working royal. She waited until she was comfortably settled in California, far from anyone who might correct her on the spot. Because anyone with even a basic understanding of royal protocol would find the notion laughable. This reminds me of the many exaggerated claims she and Harry have made, only for them to be later debunked.
Remember when they told Oprah that they had a secret wedding three days before the public ceremony? The Archbishop of Canterbury had to publicly refute that. Or when Harry claimed he had been financially cut off by his father—only for financial records to prove that King Charles had continued supporting them? It’s a pattern: make a dramatic claim, let the media frenzy build, and when it’s proven false, simply move on to the next outrageous statement. No accountability, no corrections, just an endless stream of "my truth," which often bears little resemblance to actual truth.
Meanwhile, King Charles, Queen Camilla, William, and Catherine continue to do what true royals do—serve the public, represent the nation, and uphold centuries of tradition with dignity. They don’t need to manufacture drama or invent surnames to stay relevant. Their work speaks for itself.
At the heart of it, Meghan’s attempt to rebrand herself as "Sussex" is nothing more than a desperate attempt to remain in the public eye. If she truly wanted a shared family identity, she could simply use Mountbatten-Windsor, as she is supposed to. But that wouldn’t generate headlines, would it? This isn’t about family unity—it’s about branding.
As we wrap up, let’s take a moment to thank Lord Ivar Mountbatten for setting the record straight. When misinformation spreads, it’s crucial that someone with genuine knowledge speaks up, especially when it concerns the royal family. And let’s be honest—he knows exactly what he’s talking about.
Ironically, Meghan attempted to justify this whole surname switch by claiming it was about family unity. She told Mindy Kaling, “When you have kids, you just want to share a name with them. I didn’t realize how meaningful that would be to me, but it just means so much to say this is our family name, our little family name.”
Yet, if that were truly the case, why not use the actual surname her children were given—Mountbatten-Windsor? The answer is simple: that name doesn’t suit her branding strategy. So, she invented a new one and expects the world to go along with it.
