Meghan Markle, 44, has been interviewed by Emily Chang for The Circuit to coincide with the season two launch of her Netflix show, With Love, Meghan. No topic was off limits as the ladies sat down to eat smash burgers and chat. Emily even asked for clarification on Meghan's new name after the stir it caused in season one when Mindy Kaling got scolded for calling her "Markle". Here's what Meghan has said about her new name and what is actually written on her passport…
Emily asked point blank for clarification on what Meghan's name is and what her passport says.
© Getty"When I got married, I changed my name. It's a complicated one for people to understand because a last name is not typical in that construct," the duchess began, referring to how a last name works when you are royal.
She also admitted that, as an American, she's "so confused" about royal naming conventions. "It's a dukedom," Meghan clarified, and Emily confessed it was the first time she'd even heard that term. Meghan went on to explain: "My legal name is Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, but 'Sussex' for us works as our family name. It's the name that we share with our children, but yes, since we've been married, that's what I've been called."
© InstagramThe Mindy Kaling exchange
When Mindy Kaling, 45, appeared on Meghan's show (season one) and casually referred to her host as "Meghan Markle," the former actress was quick to correct her.
"It's so funny, too, that you keep saying, 'Meghan Markle,'" she told Mindy with a smile. "You know, I'm Sussex now."
Appearing on Thursday's edition of The View, host Alyssa Farah Griffin brought up the awkward moment, that subsequently went viral, asking Mindy what the experience was like for her.
"We were making sandwiches, and then they'll push in on my face on TikTok and they'll be like, 'Look at this emotion you felt,' and I honestly didn't even remember it," she said.
The history of royal surnames
Royal surnames only came into existence after 1917. Before then, members of the British royal family would employ the name of the house or dynasty to which they belonged, such as Hanover - i.e., Queen Victoria of the House of Hanover.
So, what's the situation now? "Members of the Royal Family can be known both by the name of the Royal house, and by a surname, which are not always the same," the official royal website reads. "And often they do not use a surname at all," it also explains.
© GettyWhile Harry and Meghan's children have Sussex as a surname, Prince William's children are using Wales as a surname, which is the same one William and Harry went by when they were at school.
Is your surname royal?
MyHeritage has compiled a new list identifying 35 surnames with historical ties to royal families and aristocratic houses across Britain and Europe.
Here are the top 10:
Stuart (Stewart)
Spencer
Plantagenet
Lancaster
York
Tudor
Savoy (Savoia, Savoie)
de Medici (Medici)
Capet
Valois (de Valois)
Click through to discover more surnames that could mean you're linked to royalty.
