Meghan Markle, the woman who once turned her back on royal duties in pursuit of Hollywood fame, recently found herself experiencing a mundane task familiar to everyday people—renewing her driver’s license at the DMV.
The horror of waiting in line like a regular citizen must have been a dreadful experience for her. Reports indicate that when Meghan finally attempted to renew her long-expired license, she requested it be issued under the name "Meghan, Duchess of Sussex." However, the DMV clerk was not impressed. In a moment of unshakable resolve, the worker reportedly informed her that her legal name is Rachel Meghan Markle and that is the name that would appear on her license. The image of a no-nonsense DMV employee shutting down Meghan’s royal aspirations is nothing short of priceless.
This incident serves as yet another example of Meghan Markle’s ongoing identity crisis—something royal watchers have observed for years. Her exaggerated sense of self-importance has been a recurring theme since childhood. She famously claimed she single-handedly convinced a soap company to change a "sexist" advertisement, but it later emerged that her father had actually played a role behind the scenes. Yet, in Meghan’s mind, she was already a world-changing activist at the age of eleven. That same inflated self-view seems to have followed her into adulthood, leading her to believe she can rewrite royal protocol to fit her personal narrative.
Her biggest mistake at the DMV was attempting to claim "Sussex" as her legal surname. The reality is, under royal protocol established by Queen Elizabeth II in 1960, the official surname for descendants of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip is Mountbatten-Windsor. Titles such as Duke of Sussex or Prince of Wales are just that—titles, not legal last names. Proof of this is found in official U.S. documentation when Prince William and Princess Catherine registered their royal foundation in 2021. Their legal names were recorded as "His Royal Highness William Arthur Philip Louis Mountbatten-Windsor, the Duke of Cambridge" and "Her Royal Highness Catherine Elizabeth Mountbatten-Windsor, the Duchess of Cambridge." If Sussex were truly a family surname, William and Catherine would have used it as well. This discrepancy suggests that Meghan is either oblivious to royal naming conventions or is deliberately disregarding them to uphold a royal illusion.
This DMV episode is just another chapter in Meghan’s struggle to redefine her identity while simultaneously clinging to royal prestige. She and Harry stepped away from royal duties under the pretense of seeking privacy, yet they signed lucrative deals with Netflix, Spotify, and multiple media outlets. Meanwhile, Catherine, the Princess of Wales, has handled her personal health struggles with grace and dignity, while Meghan has reportedly been filming staged kitchen scenes for her Netflix series and allegedly throwing tantrums at the DMV over her royal title. The contrast between the two women could not be more striking—one dedicated to service and duty, the other consumed by self-promotion.
Prince Harry, once a respected royal who served in Afghanistan and founded the Invictus Games, now appears to merely echo whatever narrative Meghan provides. Meanwhile, King Charles, despite his cancer diagnosis, continues to fulfill his royal responsibilities with grace and resilience—demonstrating what true service looks like. The entire situation evokes memories of Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson, another royal who gave up everything for an American divorcée. However, at least Edward had the dignity to fade into the background rather than exploit his past with tell-all books and Netflix deals to undermine the monarchy.
Where does this latest blunder leave Meghan? Apparently, without a valid driver’s license, since she would rather forgo having one than accept the reality of her legal name. This situation also creates an odd contradiction—her children, Archie and Lilibet, hold the surname Mountbatten-Windsor, yet she insists on using "Sussex." This inconsistency makes little sense unless her true intention is to maintain the appearance of a royal connection at all costs.
At the end of the day, Meghan Markle desires the titles, status, and influence of royalty without the duty, responsibility, or sacrifice that comes with it. This DMV incident is simply another reminder that no matter how much she tries to rewrite the rules, reality will always catch up with her. And thankfully, institutions like the DMV remain firm in reminding her that, despite her claims to royalty, the same rules apply to her as they do to everyone else.
