Meghan schools Mindy Kaling about why she doesn't like being called Meghan Markle anymore

The Duchess of Sussex has explained to her "mum friend", actress and writer Mindy Kaling why she doesn't like being called Meghan Markle anymore.

The conversation came up in the second episode of the former royal's eight-part Netflix series, With Love, Meghan, as they talked about the Suits star's childhood in LA.

"I don't think anyone in the world knows that Meghan Markle has eaten Jack in the Box and loves it," Kaling said of her friend's love of the fast food chain growing up.

READ MORE: Meghan shares her tips for making breakfast time more 'fun'

"It's funny, you keep saying 'Meghan Markle' – you know I'm Sussex now," Meghan told Kaling.

"[When] you have kids you go, 'no, I share my name with my children' and that feels so... I didn't know how meaningful it would be to me, but it just means so much to go 'this is our family name, our little family name'."

Kaling took the feedback, telling her hostess the change was noted.

"Well, now I know, and I love it," The Office star said.

Kaling first met Meghan during a recording of the Duchess of Sussex's podcast Archetypes, with the Never Have I Ever and Running Point creator appearing on an episode about The Stigma of the Singleton.

READ MORE: Everything Meghan said in 'most intimate interview in years'

Meghan said the pair became friends after that and bonded over having kids of similar ages.

This isn't the first time Meghan's spoken about her name change recently.

While promoting With Love, Meghan - in which she's named in the credits as Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, for her role as executive producer on the series - she opened up about keeping the titles after her royal exit.

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"It's our shared name as a family, and I guess I hadn't recognised how meaningful that would be to me until we had children," she told US publication People magazine.

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

Adding sentimentally, "is part of our love story".

Meghan was bestowed the Sussex title by the late Queen Elizabeth II on the day she married Prince Harry in 2018.

The couple welcomed son Archie in May 2019, who took the name Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, while their daughter was born Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor in June of 2021.

The kids then became Prince Archie of Sussex and Princess Lilibet of Sussex in May of 2023, when their grandfather became King Charles III.

All episodes of With Love, Meghan are now streaming on Netflix.

Nine Entertainment Co (the publisher of this website) owns and operates the streaming service Stan.

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