Not her idea. Meghan Markle changed her name on son Archie’s birth certificate but not of her own accord.
The Sun reported on Saturday, January 30, that the former actress, 39, “secretly erased” her first names, Rachel Meghan, from the document in June 2019, nearly one month after Archie’s birth. Instead, she was referred to as “Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Sussex.” Prince Harry‘s name was also amended to add the word prince, so it reads, “His Royal Highness Prince Henry Charles Albert David Duke of Sussex.”
While Harry and Meghan’s son arrived on May 6 of that year, his birth was not registered until May 17, and the adjustment occurred on June 5. Amid rumors that the move was meant as a snub to her sister-in-law, Duchess Kate — who has included her name on her children’s birth certificates in the past — or a nod to her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana — who went by Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales on William and Harry’s birth certificates — a spokesperson for the California native spoke out.
“The change of name on public documents in 2019 was dictated by The Palace, as confirmed by documents from senior Palace officials,” Meghan’s rep said in a statement to Us Weekly on Sunday, January 31. “This was not requested by Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex nor by The Duke of Sussex.”
The statement then said that the press’ suggestion that the change was “a calculated family ‘snub’” or that Meghan “would oddly want to be nameless on her child’s birth certificate, or any other legal document, would be laughable were it not offensive.”
Meghan and Harry, 36, tied the knot in May 2018 and welcomed Archie one year later. The couple announced their intentions to step back from the royal family in January 2020 and completed their duties that March. They then permanently relocated to California.
Social media users criticized Prince William on Sunday and questioned his timing after he tweeted about a police investigation into racist comments that were sent to Premier League players. “Racist abuse – whether on the pitch, in the stands, or on social media – is despicable and it must stop now,” he wrote in his role as president of The Football Association. “We all have a responsibility to create an environment where such abuse is not tolerated, and those who choose to spread hate and division are held accountable for their actions. That responsibility extends to the platforms where so much of this activity now takes place.”
While some commended the statement, others called out the Duke of Cambridge, 38, for not publicly defending Meghan in a similar way. “Where was this energy for Meghan when she was getting it constantly?” one person replied. Another wrote: “I do wish you and your family were this vocally antiracist when the target of the racism was the Duchess of Sussex.”
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