Prince Harry & Meghan Markle Settle On Remarkable Last Name Change For Children Archie & Lilibet

Feb 19, 2024

When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle first publicly announced their relationship, many people looked up to them as fans believed their connection was somewhat straight out of a fairytale. 

However, their decision to step back from senior royal duties years into their marriage sparked controversy and heightened public interest in their personal lives, especially regarding their move to the United States to raise their children.

In 2017, the newly-engaged couple then spoke with the BBC to share details about their relationship and engagement.

The duchess recalled that they met through a blind date that a friend had set up for them. Meghan revealed she had only one condition — she would only go out with the prince if he was nice. 

They agreed to go out for a drink and immediately bonded with each other to the point that they set up another date the following day.

Although the prince admitted that he had never watched an episode of “Suits” before and never even heard about Meghan prior to their meeting, he was instantly impressed upon meeting her when he walked into the room where they had drinks. 

Harry also revealed that the engagement happened weeks before they sat down for their interview with the BBC. He told the interviewer that it was just a typical night for the two of them as they stayed at their cottage, where they dined over roasted chicken.

Meghan later revealed that the prince got down on one knee, and before he could even finish proposing, the duchess admitted she had immediately said yes and put the ring on her finger. 

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry tied the knot on May 19, 2018, which broke a couple of royal traditions, but nevertheless, millions of people still tuned in to watch the wedding of the century, attended by hundreds of guests from the royal family as well as their closest friends.

The married couple later shocked the world by announcing they were stepping back as senior royals in early 2020. They have since relocated to the United States, where they live with their two children, son Prince Archie and daughter Princess Lilibet. 

Although they retained their HRH titles, they would no longer receive financial support from the palace or undertake any royal duties as representatives of the monarch. Their sharp criticism of the royal family's culture in the now infamous Oprah Winfrey interview of 2021 was met with some opprobrium around the world, but the couple also found a lot of support.

Since relocating to Montecito, Santa Barbara, California, the Sussexes have been busy setting up their own brand, Archewell. 

Meghan began hosting a podcast called “Archetypes” in August 2022, while Harry published his memoir “Spare” in January 2023, which he described as “full of insight, revelation, self-examination and hard-won wisdom about the eternal power of love over grief.”

Despite no longer being working royals, Harry and Meghan remain public figures who have their own projects and support many charitable causes. However, many have criticized the pair for continuing to use their HRH titles, including when they debuted their revamped website, Sussex.com, on Feb. 12, 2024. On the site’s homepage, bearing the Sussex’s royal coat of arms, they are referred to as “Prince Harry & Meghan the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.” 

While the website does not yet contain much information, one surprising detail has stirred debate.

On the Sussexes’ new website, the bold choice was made not to use Meghan’s last name, Markle. The decision to drop Meghan’s last name did not go unnoticed. Many noted such a choice was in keeping with royal traditions that many royal family members, including women who marry into the family, have kept to.

While some were surprised by Meghan’s new moniker, one expert had already seen the move coming prior to the couple’s nuptials. Royal expert Marlene Koenig told Town & Country in 2018: 

“Once married, Meghan will sign as Meghan, no last name. Just as Harry signs as Harry. Royals use only a first name.” 

The site does not use the word “royal” on any of its pages, a deliberate decision in keeping with an agreement made back in 2020 before the Sussexes broke with the royal family. A spokeswoman for the couple said back then that “given the specific UK government rules surrounding use of the word royal… the Duke and Duchess of Sussex do not intend to use ‘Sussex Royal’ in any territory post-spring 2020.” Her statement was elaborated on in a section of their former website, Sussexroyal.com, that read: 

“While there is not any jurisdiction by the Monarchy or Cabinet Office over the use of the word ‘Royal’ overseas, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex do not intend to use ‘Sussex Royal’ or any iteration of the word ‘Royal’ in any territory (either within the UK or otherwise) when the transition occurs Spring 2020.”  

As criticism surrounds the Sussexes and their use of their royal titles, it should be noted that Buckingham Palace itself still refers to the couple as such. On the royal palace’s official website, Meghan is referred to as the Duchess of Sussex who, alongside her husband, continues “to honour their duty to the Monarch, the Commonwealth, and their patronages.”

Meghan is not the only family member whose name has stirred media fascination. Her two children with Harry, Archie and Lilibet, have also been the subject of interest among royal watchers. This is because the importance of traditions concerning titles and names in the royal family is rooted in history, protocol, and the symbolic representation of continuity and stability. 

Harry and Meghan’s first child, Archie, was born on May 6, 2019, while daughter Lilibet was born on June 4, 2021. They both took on the surname Mountbatten-Windsor, in keeping with royal traditions laid out on the royal family’s official website, which stated:

“For the most part, members of the Royal Family who are entitled to the style and dignity of HRH Prince or Princess do not need a surname, but if at any time any of them do need a surname (such as upon marriage), that surname is Mountbatten-Windsor.”

Despite the Sussexes’ break from the royal family, Charles allowed his grandchildren to retain their royal titles upon his ascension to the throne in 2022. However, it was only in March 2023 that Lilibet’s royal “princess” title was publicly used for her christening. 

Since then, the two children’s names have been updated on the official royal family website to read Prince Archie of Sussex and Princess Lilibet of Sussex, another tradition that can be adopted and is detailed as such: 

“Just as children can take their surnames from their father, so sovereigns normally take the name of their 'House' from their father.” 

Therefore, as Duke of Sussex, Harry’s children can adopt his house as their last name, in much the same fashion the children of his brother, the Prince of Wales, are named Prince George of Wales, Princess Charlotte of Wales and Prince Louis of Wales.

What are your thoughts on the Sussexes’ bold choice when it comes to their children Archie and Lilibet’s names and titles? Let us know, then pass this along to friends and family to get their take on the issue as well!