Meghan Markle sees new meaning in the Sussex title. In an exclusive PEOPLE cover story, she shares how the name, given to her and Prince Harry by Queen Elizabeth in 2018, has taken on deeper meaning since becoming a mother.
“It’s our shared name as a family, and I guess I hadn’t recognized how meaningful that would be to me until we had children,” she said in this week’s cover story.
Prince Archie, 5, and Princess Lilibet, 3, carry the Sussex name as their surname, following royal tradition. Similarly, Prince Harry was known as “Harry Wales” in school, drawing from his father King Charles’ former title, Prince of Wales.
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“I love that that is something that Archie, Lili, H and I all have together. It means a lot to me,” Meghan said.
Noting that the Sussex name “is part of our love story,” she added, “I think as the kids get older, they’re so excited about, ‘Oh my gosh, Mama and Papa, how did you meet?’ I think that will come with time as they get older, but for right now a huge part of our love story is that we share the name Sussex.”
Meghan’s new Netflix series, With Love, Meghan, delves into the significance of the Sussex name in one of its episodes. When friend Mindy Kaling refers to her as “Meghan Markle,” Meghan gently points out, “It’s so funny that you keep saying Meghan Markle. You know I’m Sussex now. You have kids and you go, ’No, I share my name with my children.’ And that feels so…I didn’t know how meaningful it would be, but it just means so much to go, ‘This is our family name, our little family name.’”
Kaling nods and replies, “Now I know, and I love it.”
Archie and Lilibet received their prince and princess titles when King Charles ascended the throne in September 2022, replacing their previous Mountbatten-Windsor surname. Meghan and Harry first used these titles publicly in March 2023 during Lilibet’s christening, with the royal family’s website reflecting the change.
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Now, with her new Netflix series With Love, Meghan, debuting March 4, Meghan shares her personal passions—cooking, hosting, and decorating—with her widest audience.
“When your children get to a certain age—when you’re not just playing in the sandbox with them but almost playing in your own sandbox again—it’s super joyful,” she said. “As a woman, a mom and a wife, to be able to find yourself again—in a way that was always present but that you maybe couldn’t put as much attention on as you now can when your kids are a little bit older—is a wonderful feeling.”
