A royal historian has said that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry should use an alternative title to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
The couple, who were spotted on a rare outing this week, could be known as plain Harry Sussex and Meghan Sussex, said Marlene Koenig, a royal historian. Much has already been said about their children, Archie and Lilibet, and their entitlement to royal titles. Now the question is being asked about Meghan and Harry. They have already dropped the use of their HRH titles upon stepping down as senior royals but they still use the names Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
Meghan used the royal title – but not the HRH – for her children’s book, The Bench. At the time of publication debate was rife over whether she was right to use Duchess, with Ms Koenig suggesting she and Harry should use a different moniker.
Speaking to The Express, she said the pair could use "Sussex", explaining: "Beatrice and Eugenie do not use their titles in their jobs – on their work websites it's Beatrice York, Eugenie York. Earl Spencer – he's written several books but doesn't use his title: he uses Charles Spencer.
"So, I think they should step away from using their titles, they should just use Meghan Sussex, Harry Sussex; there is so much precedent for that, especially in the US.
"There's nothing stopping you having your title as a royal if you're abroad but you usually don't use your titles.
"I'm not denigrating them at all, I just think it would lessen the tension if they didn't use the titles. . . Meghan Sussex, Harry Sussex. There's nothing wrong with that."
In a poll in April conducted by The Express, readers were asked about the couple's titles – 8,842 people cast their votes and 96 per cent said Meghan and Harry should have their titles removed. Just three per cent said they should keep them one per cent said they had no opinion.
Meanwhile, it was reported that the Sussexes has recently returned to Oprah Winfrey's seven-acre estate, spending around an hour at the TV host's home, according to several reports. The visit sparked rumours that they were planning a second tell-all interview, following their bombshell 2021 televised talk. However, nothing has been confirmed.
The pair had only recently returned to the US, where they live permanently, having spent some time in the UK for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee. It was the first time the rest of the Royal family had the chance to meet Lilibet, the newest addition to the Sussex family who was born on June 4 last year.
Prince Charles is said to have been "thrilled" to meet his granddaughter. According to The Mirror, a senior royal source said it had been "wonderful" to have the Sussexes back, and that Charles had grown "emotional" over the reunion.
The source said: "The Prince and Duchess were absolutely thrilled to see them. The prince, of course, hasn’t seen his grandson Archie for a bit of time and so it was very, very, very special to have some time with him. He hadn’t met Lili, his granddaughter, and so to meet her was very emotional, a very, very wonderful thing.”
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