Meghan Markle's "real name" has been revealed on her son Archie's birth certificate.
The Duchess of Sussex, who was born "Rachel Meghan Markle” on August 4, 1981, has used her middle name professionally throughout her acting career, including during her time on Suits, where her character was also named Rachel.
When she married Prince Harry in 2018, official documents listed the 43-year-old's full name as “Rachel Meghan Markle,” while Harry’s real name was confirmed as “Henry Charles Albert David".
This detail resurfaced as the mom-of-two's new Netflix series, With Love, Meghan, sparked fresh interest in the family’s names after she shared why she now prefers to use “Sussex” as her family’s surname.
During a candid moment with friend Mindy Kaling on the show, the Office actress referred to her as “Meghan Markle,” prompting Markle to correct her gently, saying: “It's so funny you keep saying Meghan Markle, you know I'm Sussex now.”
She explained further: “You have kids and you go, ‘No, I share my name with my children.’ 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 responded: “Well, now I know and I love it.”
The couple’s children, Archie and Lilibet, were initially registered under the surname “Mountbatten-Windsor” at birth, following royal tradition.
Archie’s full name was recorded as “Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor” on his 2019 birth certificate, with Markle listed as “Rachel Meghan Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex” and Harry as “His Royal Highness Henry Charles Albert David Duke of Sussex".
Markle has explained to PEOPLE that using “Sussex” as their family surname "means a lot" to her and her husband, adding that it is “part of [their] love story".
While the former actress' choice to use “Sussex” has sparked debate among royal fans, it aligns with royal protocol, where members often use their titles as surnames.
Prince William, for example, used “Wales” during his time in the military, and Harry was known as “Harry Wales” during his years at Eton and in the Army.
Wendy Bosberry-Scott, editor of Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage, explained: “The official surname of the Royal Family is Mountbatten-Windsor. However, it has long been the practice of the Royal Family, and indeed the peerage, to use a title as a surname where one is available," per Daily Mail.
"Now that he is the Duke of Sussex, it is perfectly within protocol for him to use Harry Sussex and for his wife to use Meghan Sussex," Bosberry-Scott added.
After stepping back from royal duties, Prince Harry and Markle were asked by the late Queen Elizabeth II to stop using the “Sussex Royal” brand for their website and Instagram, leading them to rebrand under “Archewell”.
However, their titles remain, and their children’s titles shifted after King Charles III’s ascension, officially making Archie and Lilibet Prince and Princess of Sussex.