Meghan’s Naming Nuance: A Royal Revelation!

Scott Moore, the newly appointed CEO of Prince Harry's Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025, recently shared a delightful nugget about the etiquette of addressing Meghan Markle. It's a revelation that dances away from the stiff traditions usually associated with former senior Royals, a breath of fresh air in a stuffy palace! As Richard Eden relayed in his column for the Daily Mail, Moore humorously confessed his curiosity by stating, "I did make sure to ask how I should be addressing them when they get here." And you won't believe the answer!

Moore was advised that a simple “Ma’am” would suffice for Meghan. As for Prince Harry, all it took was a casual “Sir.” That’s right—no “Your Royal Highness” was needed here! One might think we have drifted into the realm of casual Fridays at Buckingham Palace, but perhaps that is precisely the charm of the modern monarchy in the age of social media and Netflix royal dramas.

Traditionally, royal air hugs go something like this: male members are addressed as “Your Royal Highness” before the polite nod to “Sir,” while women enjoy the same initial grandeur followed by “Ma’am.” However, life has taken a thrilling twist for Harry and Meghan since they decided to step back from their senior royal roles in 2020, shedding those formal HRH titles like old winter coats. What a time to be alive—yes, they lost the HRH but clung to their nabob titles, Duke and Duchess of Sussex, like drowning swimmers holding on to a buoy!

Now, what’s particularly rich here is that this more formal approach comes hot on the heels of Prince Harry’s insistence back in 2020, where he insisted on a much more familiar approach. “Call me Harry,” he urged during a tourism conference in Edinburgh, with the kind of giddy informality that makes you want to grab a latte and bicker about your favorite royal scandals. Ayesha Hazarika, who hosted that event, evidently found great amusement in relaying Harry's directive. Can you imagine? Just Harry. Just like your friend who shows up unannounced but wears a crown.

Amidst the build-up to the Invictus Games, everyone is keeping a keen eye on the Sussexes. Their adventurous escapade to Vancouver, Canada—seriously, how do they pack for these things?—had Moore inquiring about the royal touch-points yet again. It seems just earlier this year, Harry and Meghan were mingling with competitors at Whistler Blackcomb ski resort, probably swapping snowboarding tips. And let’s not forget, the upcoming games will showcase winter sports for the first time, welcoming around 550 competitors from a remarkable 25 countries. Talk about taking the sporting world by storm!

Now, if that wasn’t enough to stir the royal pot, there’s breaking news in the kid department! In a twist worthy of a Netflix twist, the updated Sussex.com website reveals that King Charles’s coronation marked a significant transition for Archie, five, and Lilibet, three. Both little ones are now officially “Sussex” rather than “Mountbatten-Windsor.” This subtle shift represents a delightful deviation from a royal tradition set in 1960 when the Queen decided that her male-line descendants would bear the Mountbatten-Windsor title, guided by sage advice from her esteemed advisors. But who needs royal tradition when you can embrace a surname that rolls off the tongue just a tad bit easier?

In capturing the essence of modern royalty, Scott Moore's experience offers a humorous glimpse into a world that straddles the line between formality and familiarity. It seems Princes and Dukes can still have a good laugh amid tradition, and there’s never a dull moment when the Sussexes are involved!