On March 31, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's royal titles will officially be removed. This time, there are assumptions that the Duchess of Sussex may use a new surname as they start to live independently, becoming non-royals. So, will she stick to use Sussex or take on Mountbatten-Windsor just like their child, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor?
The former Suits star started using Sussex when she married Prince Harry in 2018. Since then, she is being known as the Duchess of Sussex.
However, as the Sussexes will no longer use their royal titles come March 31, Meghan Markle may take on a new surname instead of Sussex. According to Express, she may continue to use her maiden name, Markle, but she can also choose to adopt another royal surname as they begin their new lives as non-royals.
Prince Harry's wife can use the same surname that Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip chose to pass on to their descendants - Mountbatten-Windsor. Her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh fought their right to use their family's surname despite the royal tradition that the royal family uses their titles as their surnames.
Male-line heirs of the monarch have the right to use Mountbatten-Windsor when needed. It is the same surname that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle gave their first child as a tribute to the latter's grandfather, Prince Philip. Hence, he is known as Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, and his mom can also use the same surname and be known as Meghan Mountbatten-Windsor.
Mirror Online reported that the royal family adopted the surname Mountbatten-Windsor in 1973 as a combination of Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth's names. Before the duke married the Queen, he was known as Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg.
However, he didn't find his long name neutral enough, so he used the surname Mountbatten instead after his grandparents. At the time, Queen Elizabeth was only a princess and had their first child, Prince Charles. As a father, he assumed that his firstborn could take on his surname just like the traditional way, but Prime Minister Winston Churchill refused.
Instead, they were asked to continue using the surname Windsor, the royal family's official name. Queen Elizabeth's grandmother, Queen Mary, also agreed with Churchill, and that caused a huge issue that it was even taken in the Parliament.
As Prince Philip was left upset about the decision, he refused not to fight for his right to give his surname to his kids. So, he went to Prime Minister Harold Macmillan, and a comprise was met. In 1960, Queen Elizabeth declared that she already adopted the surname Mountbatten-Windsor.
