Meghan Markle, who appeared in the latest winter edition of Harper’s Bazaar magazine in the United States, caused turmoil after revealing that Prince Harry’s wife had been announced in the room with her royal titles.
In the cover story, the writer reveals that when the As Ever founder arrived for the interview at La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles, a golfer stopped and “someone in the melee announced her” as “the Duchess of Sussex.”
The second instance where this happened was during their meeting in New York, when the head of house announced “Meghan, Duchess of Sussex,” “even though we appear to be the only two other people in the house.”
The story has earned Prince Harry’s wife widespread criticism as she continues to use her royal titles after loudly declaring she was unhappy at the palace and disparaging the royal family in public.
Since the debate reignited online among royal experts and royal watchers, Harper’s Bazaar cited an etiquette expert to see if Meghan was bound by protocol to the move or if something was wrong.
Expert Myka Meier began by dismissing that there was anything wrong with Meghan using her title in this way, even though she and Prince Harry left the royal family in 2020.
“She chooses the more formal route, which is a matter of personal preference,” Meier said. “It’s her choice, that’s the bottom line: it’s her choice. And so, for whatever reason, that’s how she feels most comfortable being presented.”
The expert explained that if it is a title as such, it is comparable to a doctor who chooses whether or not to use his title.
“Whether you are prime minister, president, duchess or princess, it is up to you how you want to be presented and how you want to present yourself,” she added.
While Meghan may not have been wrong in her introduction, it raises eyebrows about her preference to adhere to royal protocol when all she wanted was to escape it.
