He also criticized Meghan’s appearance on the show, claiming she came across as inauthentic and overly focused on perfection. Meghan and her father have been estranged since 2018, following his absence from her wedding. While some sympathize with Thomas, others believe his frequent media commentary has contributed to the rift.
A challenge of royal conventions?
In practice, Meghan’s use of “Meghan Sussex” does not break royal rules. Many royals use their titles as surnames when needed. As Debrett’s explains, “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex can, and do, use ‘Sussex’ as their surname. This follows the tradition when Prince Harry used ‘Wales’ as his surname while serving in the army, reflecting his status as the son of the Prince of Wales. Now that he’s the Duke of Sussex, his wife and children are also entitled to use ‘Sussex’ as their surname.”
Despite this, media outlets continue to refer to her as Meghan Markle, as seen in recent coverage by People, and that is unlikely to change anytime soon.