Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been doing nothing but breaking with Royal tradition throughout their marriage, but now they’ve really made a bold statement with their latest challenge to the established order that reveals exactly how they are divorcing their family from that of Prince William and Kate Middleton forever more.
In short, Harry and Meghan have officially changed the last name of their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, thereby bringing an end to a Royal decree that began 64 years ago. According to the couple’s just-revamped website, Sussex.com (formerly named after the duo’s struggling Archewell Foundation), their five-year-old son and three-year-old daughter now go by the surname Sussex, derived from their parents being the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
This is a bigger deal than it at first seems because ever since 1960 it’s been an official rule that all male-line descendants of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip should go by the surname Mountbatten-Windsor (a combination of Philip’s surname and the Queen’s). So Harry and Meghan’s decision to rebrand their family in this way makes a clear statement about how they wish to continue standing apart from the Palace.
On the other hand, a source close to the Sussexes claimed to The Times that there is a more positive way of looking at the surname change. As they shared:
“The reality behind the new site is very simple – it’s a hub for the work the Sussexes do and it reflects the fact the family have, since the King’s coronation, the same surname for the first time. That’s a big deal for any family. It represents their unification and it’s a proud moment.”
The updated website also features new bios for both the duke and duchess, which notably make use of their children’s status as prince and princess. Archie and Lilibet were not actually born with these titles, but when their grandfather became king they were bumped up the Royal food chain as well.
“Prince Harry lives in California with his wife Meghan, and their two children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet,” goes Harry’s bio, with Meghan’s reading: “Meghan lives in California with her husband and their children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.”
To be fair to Harry and Meghan, it’s not like this is the first time Royals have changed their surname. The Windsor name itself was invented by the Royal family in 1917, in an attempt to hide their Germanic origins amid the First World War — before Windsor, the family’s name was Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Windsor was chosen as a suitable replacement due to the Royal residence, Windsor Castle. Yes, they literally looked around them and named themselves after their house. Presumably other rejected options included Crown, Throne, and Carpet.
Sussex…Saxe-Coburg-Gotha… Honestly, you could argue Harry and Meghan are just honoring their family history a little bit with this phonetically familiar new name. Long live the House of Sussex?
