The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Family, News and Events 10: August 2024 -

[AsEver]

I absolutely loved the show -- it was relaxing and interesting and fun! I loved this review.

Also glad that Meghan is embracing a family name and I can understand why it is important. And she isn't doing anything out of the ordinary -- Princess Eugenie went by Eugenie York during her time in NYC.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1897388635747704963

 

[Lori138]

Nothing like tooting your own horn!

 

[Hallo girl]

I absolutely loved the show -- it was relaxing and interesting and fun! I loved this review.

Also glad that Meghan is embracing a family name and I can understand why it is important. And she isn't doing anything out of the ordinary -- Princess Eugenie went by Eugenie York during her time in NYC.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1897388635747704963

It is well known by Royal watchers also well documented on this forum that using the title is common practice within the RF. There is nothing new in that practice, but I do think viewers were surprised that Meghan corrected her friend on the programme. I personally am not sure why it needed to be broadcast.
Markle would probably get more clicks on line right enough.
I wonder if they will just use the Sussex as the surname and chose not to use the title unless in more formal surroundings.
It was filmed last year so maybe they will have changed their mind by now.

 

[carlota]

I found the name correction strange. It sounded rather patronising towards her “friend”. Mindy looked rather taken aback by the comment by M. The fact that they kept it in the show and didn’t edit it out makes me think that M wants to prove a point about it. Possibly a reminder of the royal connection given that they can’t use duke/duchess of Sussex for business ventures?

 

[Somebody]

I found the name correction strange. It sounded rather patronising towards her “friend”. Mindy looked rather taken aback by the comment by M. The fact that they kept it in the show and didn’t edit it out makes me think that M wants to prove a point about it. Possibly a reminder of the royal connection given that they can’t use duke/duchess of Sussex for business ventures?

The cannot use 'HRH' but do use 'Duke/Duchess of Sussex', also in their business ventures.

 

[Curryong]

I just took it as a reminder from Meghan that she ceased being a Markle on her wedding day and hasn’t used it in any professional way since May 2018.

It appeared pretty obvious to me as well that Archie is using Archie Sussex at school as his surname, just as his father used to be Harry Wales. Meghan emphasised in that conversation that the children and parents use the same name. Lili is probably Lili Sussex at her kindergarten as well.

 

[Hallo girl]

I just took it as a reminder from Meghan that she ceased being a Markle on her wedding day and hasn’t used it in any professional way since May 2018.

It appeared pretty obvious to me as well that Archie is using Archie Sussex at school as his surname, just as his father used to be Harry Wales. Meghan emphasised in that conversation that the children and parents use the same name. Lili is probably Lili Sussex at her kindergarten as well.

As you yourself have said we can only speculate,

 

[shady lady]

As you yourself have said we can only speculate,

Didn’t they announce something like this back along? About changing their name? Or am I getting confused?

 

[Mbruno]

I absolutely loved the show -- it was relaxing and interesting and fun! I loved this review.

Also glad that Meghan is embracing a family name and I can understand why it is important. And she isn't doing anything out of the ordinary -- Princess Eugenie went by Eugenie York during her time in NYC.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1897388635747704963

Nobody questions that using titles as surnames is a common pratice (in fact the standard practice) in the United Kingdom. What some people have been questioning, including myself, is whether that practice makes sense though for someone who is a permanent resident of the United States, which is a country where foreign titles are not legally recognized.

Furthermore, there is always the issue of Meghan's double standard where, on one hand, she rejects royal life, but, on the other hand, wants to keep a royal connection when it suits her.

If Meghan had said "I'm Sussex now" to stress that she is using her husband's surname now, I suppose that no one would bother, but that is not how it comes across to the audience. It sounds like Meghan is pulling rank and reminding her friend of "who she is now", especially in the way she said that line.

Jaime Lee Curtis doesn't go around telling other Americans that she is "Lady Haden-Guest" now. Why does Meghan Markle feel it is so important to be called Meghan Sussex, especially when she is actually far more well-known as Meghan Markle anyway and that latter name is commercially more effective for her in the American media market?

 

[soapstar]

I read a substack that made an interesting point. They noted that it seems as if instead of being herself, Meghan is emulating the royal lifestyle. Tea parties, gardening, beekeeping and jam making are all things the BRF have long enjoyed (Catherine has spoken about making jam and honey for family and friends). Meghan by her own admission, has only started pursuing these hobbies very recently. Now that’s not to say Meghan can’t enjoy those things too, but it just doesn’t feel authentic. It feels like a completely different person from the woman we saw a few years ago. Even the packaging and the initial products she’s launching for her brand (tea, shortbread cookies and jam) feels like something you see in the BP and Highgrove gift shops.

I’ve said it before, but I think she should have revamped The Tig. On her old blog/instagram, she used to love showcasing new places and trying new foods. I think that type of content (travel/food) would have made a much better tv show than what she’s doing now.

A review from MSNBC
Opinion | The boring inauthenticity of Meghan's royally half-baked Netflix show

Which brings us to the biggest problem with this new show: None of it seems authentic, and none of it is especially compelling. It’s all just ... fine. (With the possible exception of a one-pan pasta recipe that I would definitely steal. But I also would have loved this idea even if I saw it on TikTok, which is where most Americans get their recipes these days anyway, right?) The questions I’m left with at the end of each episode — after Meghan cooks, crafts, opines and flips her hair in the California sunshine — is why? Why these recipes? Why this show? Why now? Why her? It seems to be that the only answer is because she married a prince.
———
The lesson here is that fame will get you a platform, no doubt. But a platform isn’t self-sustaining. To keep people coming back, you need something more. Meghan is not especially charismatic, not especially funny and not especially knowledgeable. She comes across as someone with more Instagram filters than common sense.

 

[Somebody]

It is well known by Royal watchers also well documented on this forum that using the title is common practice within the RF. There is nothing new in that practice, but I do think viewers were surprised that Meghan corrected her friend on the programme. I personally am not sure why it needed to be broadcast.
Markle would probably get more clicks on line right enough.
I wonder if they will just use the Sussex as the surname and chose not to use the title unless in more formal surroundings.
It was filmed last year so maybe they will have changed their mind by now.

(...)
If Meghan had said "I'm Sussex now" to stress that she is using her husband's surname now, I suppose that no one would bother, but that is not how it comes across to the audience. It sounds like Meghan is pulling rank and reminding her friend of "who she is now", especially in the way she said that line.

Jaime Lee Curtis doesn't go around telling other Americans that she is "Lady Haden-Guest" now. Why does Meghan Markle feel it is so important to be called Meghan Sussex, especially when she is actually far more well-known as Meghan Markle anyway and that latter name is commercially more effective for her in the American media market?

I've still never seen Meghan calling herself 'Meghan Sussex'. Can someone point me to a place where she did? As far as I can tell, she has not used 'Sussex' as her surname in public - but only 'Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex'.

 

[Royalist.in.NC]

I read a substack that made an interesting point. They noted that it seems as if instead of being herself, Meghan is emulating the royal lifestyle. Tea parties, gardening, beekeeping and jam making are all things the BRF have long enjoyed (Catherine has spoken about making jam and honey for family and friends). Meghan by her own admission, has only started pursuing these hobbies very recently. Now that’s not to say Meghan can’t enjoy those things too, but it just doesn’t feel authentic. It feels like a completely different person from the woman we saw a few years ago. Even the packaging and the initial products she’s launching for her brand (tea, shortbread cookies and jam) feels like something you see in the BP and Highgrove gift shops.

I’ve said it before, but I think she should have revamped The Tig. On her old blog/instagram, she used to love showcasing new places and trying new foods. I think that type of content (travel/food) would have made a much better tv show than what she’s doing now.

A review from MSNBC
Opinion | The boring inauthenticity of Meghan's royally half-baked Netflix show

I noticed that too, Soapstar. I’ve only watched the first episode with the bees and was surprised that she asked the beekeeper about the lifetime of a bee. And then she said they’d had the bees around one year (I think). So I thought it odd that she wouldn’t already know that. Had she known it and just wanted to share the info, she could have said something like “I was surprised when you told me that a bee lives only …..”

 

[Tatiana Maria]

I've still never seen Meghan calling herself 'Meghan Sussex'. Can someone point me to a place where she did? As far as I can tell, she has not used 'Sussex' as her surname in public - but only 'Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex'.

To be fair, it seems the duchess did not claim to have used "Meghan Sussex" in the conversation from the show, according to a transcript I found:


[Mindy Kaling:] “Uh, I don’t think anyone in the world knows that Meghan Markle has eaten Jack in the Box and loves it.”

[The Duchess of Sussex:] “It’s so funny, too, that you keep saying ‘Meghan Markle.’ You know I’m Sussex now.” [Pause.] “You have kids, and you go, ‘Now I share my name with my children.’ And that feels so — 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.’”

[Mindy Kaling:] “Well, now I know, and I love it.”

 

[Mbruno]

I've still never seen Meghan calling herself 'Meghan Sussex'. Can someone point me to a place where she did? As far as I can tell, she has not used 'Sussex' as her surname in public - but only 'Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex'.

The reference is to what happened in the show where a guest called her Meghan Markle and she corrected her by saying "I'm Sussex now".

You are right that she has been using "Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex" or "Meghan, Duchess of Sussex" in the US. It appears that Drew Barrymore (?) called her Meghan Sussex after the Netflix show aired (I didn't see it), but I wouldn't be surprised if we got more of Meghan Sussex in the future.

EDIT: In reply to Tatiana Maria's post above, she didn't call herself "Meghan Sussex", but clearly implied she sees "Sussex" as her family name, which she gets to share with her kids, which is odd again, because, when her kids were born, their family name on their birth certificates was Mountbatten-Windsor. They only became "Sussex" after they became princes upon Charles' accession. and, again, none of this has any legal meaning in the USA, unless she really changed her children's passports and other personal documents.

 

[tommy100]

I agree with the speculation that whole stilted conversation was left in as a warning shot to the RF not to strip them of their royal titles. By saying "its our family" Meghan is trying to make it even harder for the RF to strip them of the title (which I actually don't think the RF would ever try to do)

 

[Mbruno]

I agree with the speculation that whole stilted conversation was left in as a warning shot to the RF not to strip them of their royal titles. By saying "its our family" Meghan is trying to make it even harder for the RF to strip them of the title (which I actually don't think the RF would ever try to do)

Well, Joachim and Marie pulled that card too in Denmark ("why are you changing our children's name?") and even Nikolai went along with it (as in I've always been "of Denmark"). In the end, however, it didn't work and Queen Margrethe II made them "af Monpezat" anyway.

I understand how European royals in some countries in particular might feel about the generally unwritten rule that princes don't carry a family name and might use a title designation as a proxy for their surname, But I insist that Archie and Lilibet only became (HRH) Prince/Princess xxx of Sussex in the UK upon their grandfather's accession. Those titles do not exist in the United States and Queen Elizabeth II's declaration to the Privy Council on the name of her family and house, or King George V's Letters Patent of 1917 are not part of the law of California or of the United States.

I don't know what name they are using for the kids now, but, unless some legal action was taken, the natural thing would be to go with what is on their birth certificates, or probably on the passport Archie used to travel to America (I assume he has one), which must be Mountbatten-Windsor. They didn't cease to be Mountbatten-Windsor in America when Charles became King in the UK because, again, British rules do not apply in America.

Besides, the whole exchange was completely odd and out of place. Why did that conversation have to be in what should be a light-hearted Californian lifestyle/cooking show? Why did Meghan feel that she had to say that to an audience of potentially millions of viewers worldwide? Was she trying to make it clear that she doesn't want to be called Meghan Markle anymore, or that this is no longer who she is now? It is all puzzling to me.

 

[HRHHermione]

I will note that Meghan also echoed these comments in her promotional interview/cover story with People. For whatever reason, getting this point across was a major PR point reinforced in multiple channels.

 

[Somebody]

To be fair, it seems the duchess did not claim to have used "Meghan Sussex" in the conversation from the show, according to a transcript I found:

[Mindy Kaling:] “Uh, I don’t think anyone in the world knows that Meghan Markle has eaten Jack in the Box and loves it.”

[The Duchess of Sussex:] “It’s so funny, too, that you keep saying ‘Meghan Markle.’ You know I’m Sussex now.” [Pause.] “You have kids, and you go, ‘Now I share my name with my children.’ And that feels so — 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.’”

[Mindy Kaling:] “Well, now I know, and I love it.”

The reference is to what happened in the show where a guest called her Meghan Markle and she corrected her by saying "I'm Sussex now".

You are right that she has been using "Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex" or "Meghan, Duchess of Sussex" in the US. It appears that Drew Barrymore (?) called her Meghan Sussex after the Netflix show aired (I didn't see it), but I wouldn't be surprised if we got more of Meghan Sussex in the future.

EDIT: In reply to Tatiana Maria's post above, she didn't call herself "Meghan Sussex", but clearly implied she sees "Sussex" as her family name, which she gets to share with her kids, which is odd again, because, when her kids were born, their family name on their birth certificates was Mountbatten-Windsor. They only became "Sussex" after they became princes upon Charles' accession. and, again, none of this has any legal meaning in the USA, unless she really changed her children's passports and other personal documents.

Exactly, I've never suggested otherwise. I am fully aware that Meghan never called herself 'Meghan Sussex'; and while she might have implied it in this segment (which I read before) that Sussex is now her family name, she has never used it as such.

A few people in this thread seem to doubt that her surname is either 'Markle' (see Lilibet's birth certificate) or Mountbatten-Windsor (if she legally took her husband's surname) and seem to think of 'Sussex' as her surname. As far as I can tell she has never truly used it as a surname and it definitely is not her legal surname - but I am always open to new information, which is why I asked for the second time as more posters seemed to come up with this interpretation of 'Sussex' as Meghan's surname.

 

[Tatiana Maria]

Exactly, I've never suggested otherwise. I am fully aware that Meghan never called herself 'Meghan Sussex'; and while she might have implied it in this segment (which I read before) that Sussex is now her family name, she has never used it as such.

A few people in this thread seem to doubt that her surname is either 'Markle' (see Lilibet's birth certificate) or Mountbatten-Windsor (if she legally took her husband's surname) and seem to think of 'Sussex' as her surname. As far as I can tell she has never truly used it as a surname and it definitely is not her legal surname - but I am always open to new information, which is why I asked for the second time as more posters seemed to come up with this interpretation of 'Sussex' as Meghan's surname.

My apologies, Somebody, I did miss that your reply was directed towards previous posts rather than being a direct comment on the statement made in the show.
My own impression is that while the Duchess did indeed use the words "family name", she and those royal watchers who are in agreement with her comment are concentrated more on the wrongness of referring to her as "Meghan Markle", rather than on specifically labeling/using Sussex as a "name". It seems likely that she and those who agree with her comment would prefer that she be referred to as "the Duchess of Sussex" (as is her right under British tradition), even preferring that to "Meghan Sussex". However, saying "You know I'm the Duchess of Sussex now!" or "Now I share my title with my children" would surely not sound very appealing, so it is understandable that she used a softer phrasing.

 

[Asteria12]

Meghan can call herself whatever she likes, the reality is that she'll always bear the moniker "Meghan Markle" in the media because that is her tag. Just like "Kate Middleton."

 

[Royalist.in.NC]

My apologies, Somebody, I did miss that your reply was directed towards previous posts rather than being a direct comment on the statement made in the show.
My own impression is that while the Duchess did indeed use the words "family name", she and those royal watchers who are in agreement with her comment are concentrated more on the wrongness of referring to her as "Meghan Markle", rather than on specifically labeling/using Sussex as a "name". It seems likely that she and those who agree with her comment would prefer that she be referred to as "the Duchess of Sussex" (as is her right under British tradition), even preferring that to "Meghan Sussex". However, saying "You know I'm the Duchess of Sussex now!" or "Now I share my title with my children" would surely not sound very appealing, so it is understandable that she used a softer phrasing.

We just don’t have any titles in the US so it sounds pretentious to my ears for an American living in the US to call oneself the “Duchess” of anything. For a US citizen living overseas in countries where titles are used, that’s totally different and it makes perfect sense for Meghan to be called the Duchess of Sussex or even Meghan Sussex there. If they were just visiting, it would be different but they’ve stated they plan to live here in the US.
Harry was born with a title and has always been known as Prince Harry and I’m assuming he’s still a British citizen. While their children legally have those titles and they are meaningful in the UK, I cannot imagine them wanting to use them among friends - kids want to be like their peers, not stand out due to a title that’s not recognized in the US. We have no formal aristocracy - princes and princesses exist only in Disney movies and fairy tales.

 

[EllieCat]

Meghan can call herself whatever she likes, the reality is that she'll always bear the moniker "Meghan Markle" in the media because that is her tag. Just like "Kate Middleton."

Diana, Princess of Wales, was still being called 'Lady Di' for years and years after her marriage.

 

[FigTree]

Diana, Princess of Wales, was still being called 'Lady Di' for years and years after her marriage.

Well that was her name? Sh3bhad a married name sure but that is the one that stuck. These things really aren't that deep.

 

[Hallo girl]

It maybe sums up the relevance of the programme that all we are discussing and hotly discussing, at that, is the name Sussex.

 

[Mbruno]

We just don’t have any titles in the US so it sounds pretentious to my ears for an American living in the US to call oneself the “Duchess” of anything. For a US citizen living overseas in countries where titles are used, that’s totally different and it makes perfect sense for Meghan to be called the Duchess of Sussex or even Meghan Sussex there. If they were just visiting, it would be different but they’ve stated they plan to live here in the US.
Harry was born with a title and has always been known as Prince Harry and I’m assuming he’s still a British citizen. While their children legally have those titles and they are meaningful in the UK, I cannot imagine them wanting to use them among friends - kids want to be like their peers, not stand out due to a title that’s not recognized in the US. We have no formal aristocracy - princes and princesses exist only in Disney movies and fairy tales.

You make excellent points.

I am pretty sure they will not insist that the kids be called Prince or Princess when they are at school in the US. Not even Harry (or William) was called that, I think, when they were in school in the UK,

Incorporating Sussex as their family name, as in Archie or Lilibet Sussex, may well be the easiest solution for the children. In fact, someone in the United States who knew nothing about the family or who they are could easily mistake Sussex for an ordinary last name .

The problem is that, as Somebody said, Meghan was still Rachel Meghan Markle on LIlibet's US birth certificate and Lilibet's surname was still Mountbatten-Windsor as was Archie's on his UK birth certificate. So all 3 are effectively changing their names now, based on a British rule that doesn't apply in the US.

Harry of course is in a different class. He only became the Duke of Sussex when he married, which was not so long ago, but he never had a family name and he was always Prince Harry in the public media, or Harry Wales in school and in the Army. It is really hard for him, as seen on his children's birth certificates, even more so on Lilibet's, which was issued in the US, to fit into the normal document format of Given Name(s) and Last Name (Surname). He could have taken up the last name Mountbatten-Windsor, which even Princess Anne used for example for her marriage certificate and is the family name the descendants in male line of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, except married female descendants, are instructed to use "when they need it", but he didn't do that.

 

[shady lady]

It maybe sums up the relevance of the programme that all we are discussing and hotly discussing, at that, is the name Sussex.

Yes.

And it's worth remembering that when HLMTQ gifted the Sussex title to H&M it was with the expectation (or at least hope) that they would serve the UK and our people long term as a part of the BRF. Which didn't really happen.

She can call herself Krusty The Clown if she wants to, but for me she'll always be Meghan Markle, former working royal by marriage. It's very simple to me

 

[Kronprinz]

I found the name correction strange. It sounded rather patronising towards her “friend”. Mindy looked rather taken aback by the comment by M. The fact that they kept it in the show and didn’t edit it out makes me think that M wants to prove a point about it. Possibly a reminder of the royal connection given that they can’t use duke/duchess of Sussex for business ventures?

Yes, it sounded too much like "Let me remind you who you're talking to".

I'm actually surprised they didn't edit it out. Mindy's answer "Now I know it and I love it" is quite something.

 

[Kronprinz]

Will there be any semi-royal tours from them this year? I'm actually surprised she didn't insist the release date of the show to align with a major royal event, in order to steal the limelight.

 

[chen bao jun]

I understand a wife and mother wanting to have her husband's surname. Harry's surname is a complicated issue due to his having left the royal family and because he's still royal, saying she's using his name sounds like snobbery but I'd give her the benefit of doubt on this one.
I'm not a Meghan fan and think poorly of her (and Harry) not for leaving the family, but for the hurtful and baseless accusations afterwards etc etc. But I think people can grow and change and she's not continuing on that path by having this show. I sincerely hope it finds an audience and that she finds her niche in the world (hopefully no more obnoxious politically contentious podcasts that make her seem strident and uninformed). What's interesting to me in all this is how plus ça change plus c'est la même chose. The Duchess of Windsor spent most of her married life entertaining and decorating and doing table settings in a very similar way and I think she wrote at least one book about her tips on how to do it instead of having a TV show. Hardly seems like it's worth having given up the platform of the royal family for but if she and Harry find peace this way it all won't be a total waste.
I am getting the impression that she's trying very hard to be a good mother as she understands it (Catherine is so much more fortunate in her family background than Meghan and the 2 royal brothers). Mothering does mellow one. If she and Harry can raise the two children protected and stable in at atmosphere of peace and calm, that will be something.

The Duchess Of Windsor’s Tongue-In-Cheek Guide To Entertaining

“Planning a party can be more fun than the party itself. And one rule is born into my brain: Don’t worry. It never happens.”

www.vogue.co.uk

 

[Ghost]

Harry’s surname is Mountbatten Windsor, nothing complicated.