How Megan Markle Confirmed Her Sussex Rebranding During An Appearance On The Drew Barrymore Show

The actress and royal long known as Meghan Markle seems to be entering a new era, one marked by a significant change. During an episode of her lifestyle show on the 2025 TV schedule, With Love, Meghan, the star corrected Mindy Kaling when she referred to her as “Markle.” The host clarified that her last name is “Sussex,” and she seems to be owning that now. Said assumption is based on the fact that the apparent rebrand seeped into Meghan’s appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show.

What Happened When The Duchess Of Sussex Appeared on The Drew Barrymore Show?

During the March 6 broadcast of Drew Barrymore’s eponymous talk show, the host initially introduced the Duchess simply as “Meghan.” However, later in the broadcast, Barrymore introduced her guest as Meghan Sussex at the start of a cooking segment. She later called Sussex by her name once more when starting the “Fast Five” portion of the show (which is on YouTube). These mentions of her last name provide an indication of how the Suits alum now wants people to reimagine her identity.

This name-related development is not quite as awkward as the situation that occurred on With Love, Meghan (which is streamable with a Netflix subscription). At one point in Mindy Kaling’s episode, the titular host said that she found it “so funny” that Kaling kept calling her “Markle.” The royal then clarified that she wants to share a surname with her children and finds that to be truly “meaningful” for her and her “little family” with Prince Harry.

Speaking of Mrs. Sussex’s spouse, there was a brief moment during Meghan’s recent talk show appearance in which she clarified that Harry’s last name is Sussex. That came after Drew Barrymore asked if she could refer to him as “Harry.” All in all, it would seem that the media personality is standing firmly by her decision to drop “Markle” publicly. That decision has also been subject to a lot of discussion.

Why It Could Be Difficult For Meghan Markle To Rebrand Herself

It should be mentioned up front that Meghan’s decision to go by “Sussex” isn’t incorrect, given that name was bestowed upon her by the late Queen Elizabeth II when she and Prince Harry became the Duchess and Duke. However, as Us Weekly notes, it can be hard for a female member of the British royal family to shake their maiden name. A keen example would be the case of Meghan’s sister-in-law, Catherine, Princess of Wales. While that’s her formal title, many still refer to her as Kate Middleton.

One could certainly argue that it could be challenging for the general public and members of the press to stop using the name “Meghan Markle.” With the name she’s gone by for years as a public figure, the Duchess has permeated pop culture in a major way. Just recently, there was even a Markle-related joke on the CBS show Elsbeth.

It’s honestly interesting to consider that if Meghan returns for Suits LA (which would be great for the sake of another sweet BTS Prince Harry story), she could be credited as “Meghan Sussex.” We probably shouldn’t get too ahead of ourselves on that front, though, and just keep our current focus on the fact that the royal appears serious about changing her name. And, after her appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show, I’d assume that any other talk show hosts will refer to her by Sussex if they have her on as a guest.