Why Meghan Markle refuses to give up her royal title

Despite stepping away from their royal duties in 2020,Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have no intention of relinquishing their royal titles.

The couple, who received the Duke and Duchess of Sussex titles from Queen Elizabeth on their wedding day in 2018, are deeply attached to the moniker.

For Meghan, the Sussex name holds profound personal meaning, something that became apparent after having children.

“It’s our shared name as a family, and I guess I hadn’t recognized how meaningful that would be to me until we had children,” she told People.

“I love that that is something that Archie, Lili, H and I all have together. It means a lot to me.”

She added that the Sussex name “is part of our love story.”

While the Duke and Duchess are committed to retaining their titles, public opinion seems to be shifting. A recent poll found that the British public increasingly sees Harry and Meghan as celebrities rather than royals.

The Ipsos poll, which examined British attitudes towards the Royal Family, highlighted this change in perspective.

Among the findings, six in ten (60 per cent) believe that Meghan is more of a celebrity than a royal, while four in ten (40 per cent) say the same about Harry. Just 21 per cent still consider him a royal.

In what should come as little surprise, the poll also found that the Prince and Princess of Wales remain the most popular members of the Royal Family with 64 per cent holding a favourable view of the Prince of Wales and 62 per cent approving of the Princess of Wales.

Princess Anne followed closely behind with a 56 per cent positive rating.

Half of Britons (52 per cent) believe King Charles is doing a good job, with only 14 per cent expressing a negative view.

Confidence in Prince William as a future king remains strong, with 67 per cent believing he would perform well as Monarch.

Gideon Skinner, Senior Director of UK Politics at Ipsos provided further insight into the findings.

“Our latest polling on the Royal Family shows the different aspects of public opinion,” Skinner said.

“The consistently high approval ratings for the Prince and Princess of Wales will undoubtedly be viewed as positive by those in the palace’s orbit, the majority continue to think King Charles is doing a good job, and those who actively want to abolish the monarchy are a minority.

“However, the persistent negativity towards the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, coupled with the generational divide in views on the monarchy’s value, presents a clear challenge for the institution. The data continues to suggest a need for the Royal Family to navigate carefully the evolving expectations of the British public, particularly amongst younger generations, in order to secure the institution’s future.”