Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s last name is bewildering fans after Markle discussed their family name in her Netflix show, With Love, Meghan.
While speaking with close friend and guest star Mindy Kaling, the former actress got candid about sharing a last name with her husband, Prince Harry, and her kids Lilibet, 3, and Archie, 5 after Kaling called her Meghan Markle.
“It’s so funny, too, that you keep saying Meghan Markle,” Markle, who was born Rachel Meghan Markle, said. “You know I’m Sussex now.”
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As a reminder, Markle earned the title of Duchess of Sussex when she married Harry, the Duke of Sussex, in 2018.
“You have kids and you go, ‘No, I share my name with my children,’” she explained of the decision. “I didn’t know how meaningful that would be to me, but it just means so much to go, this is our family name, our little family name.”
Breaking Down Meghan Markle & Prince Harry’s Last Name
Markle and Harry, along with their two children, have reportedly been using the last name Sussex after leaving the royal family.
In 2024, a source told The Times of London that Markle and Harry’s children had been known as Archie Sussex and Lilibet Sussex since King Charles III’s 2022 coronation.
When King Charles III succeeded the throne on September 8, 2022, Archie and Lilibet moved up in this line of succession and their names changed as a result. Archie was named Prince Archie of Sussex while Lilibet was named Princess Lilibet of Sussex, taking on the title given to their parents after their 2018 wedding when Queen Elizabeth II named them the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
While we might still be referring to Markle as Meghan Markle, her name changed forever when we got married to Harry.
In Archie’s birth certificate a few days after his birth on May 17th, 2019, she was referred to as Rachel Meghan Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex. The last name Markle appeared only as her maiden name.
What Is Prince Harry’s Last Name?
Per Markle, Prince Harry is now known as Harry Sussex but that wasn’t always the case. Like all members of the royal family, Prince Harry was born without an official last name.
Harry, who was born as Henry Charles Albert David, was listed as His Royal Highness Henry Charles Albert David Duke of Sussex on his son’s official birth certificate.
However, per a 2011 article in Telegraph, Harry used the name Harry Wales during his time in the military.
What Are Archie & Lilibet’s Last Names?
Markle and Prince Harry’s kids now use the last name Sussex. When Archie and Lilibet were born, in 2019 and 2021, respectively, they were given the last name Mountbatten-Windsor. Archie’s full name was Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor while Lilibet’s was Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor.
The hyphenated last name was decided back in 1960 when the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip decided to give their “untitled” descendants their own last name.
“It was therefore declared in the Privy Council that The Queen’s descendants, other than those with the style of Royal Highness and the title of Prince/Princess, or female descendants who marry, would carry the name of Mountbatten-Windsor,” a statement on the official royal website explains.
The last name combined Queen Elizabeth’s last name of Windsor and Prince Philip’s adopted last name of Mountbatten.
According to Vogue, the royals being named after their titles is far from novelty among the British royal family. When Harry and Prince William were at school, for instance, they were reportedly known as William Wales and Harry Wales. At the time, their parents were the Prince and Princess of Wales.
Before you go, click here to see more of Meghan Markle & Prince Harry’s milestones since leaving the royal family.
