Meghan Markle officially confirms major family change after awkward Netflix reveal

Meghan Markle made a surprise appearance on US TV on the Drew Barrymore Show where she officially debuted a huge change that she teased in her Netflix show with pal Mindy Kaling

Meghan Markle has officially debuted a huge family change after revealing it in a clash on her Netflix show.

Today, the Duchess of Sussex appeared on the Drew Barrymore talk show in the US to plug With Love, Meghan – her cooking and lifestyle series, which has had a string of brutal reviews.

One of the bombshell moments from the show came in episode two when Meghan corrected her pal Mindy Kaling about her name after referring to her as Markle, with the Duchess proudly announcing she was now ‘Meghan Sussex – a nod to her royal title. And today, in one of the most telling moments during the interview, when Drew welcomed viewers, she told them she had been joined by Meghan Sussex – rather than Meghan Markle.

It is believed to be the first time that Meghan has been introduced in public by her new surname. The change in Meghan’s name first came to light in an interview published earlier this week in PEOPLE magazine. The duchess then doubled down on the name in With Love, Meghan as she and Mindy discuss fast food.

Mindy says: “People wouldn’t believe that Meghan Markle ate at Jack in the Box.” To which Meghan replies: “It’s so funny, too, that you keep saying Meghan Markle. You know I’m Sussex now. You have kids, and you go, ‘no I share my name with my children’…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’.”

Elsewhere during the show, Meghan did a segment where she showed Drew how to make thumbprint cookies. And during the demonstration, the duchess was caught off guard by an unexpected moment prompted by an emotional Drew. As Meghan showed her baking technique, Drew presented her guest with a framed black and white picture of her as a little girl meeting Diana – Meghan’s late mother-in-law.

The picture was taken around the time Drew starred in the blockbuster movie E.T. and shows her presenting the late princess with a doll of the alien character.

Drew gushed: “It means so much to me to have met such an incredible human being that transcended everything. It was the honour of my life.” And an off-guard Meghan replied: “Oh, my gosh, look at your little face. Oh, that’s so sweet. That’s really special. I will tell H [Harry] that, for sure.”

Meghan’s Netflix show is being viewed as a make-or-break moment for the Sussexes, who signed a multimillion-pound deal with Netflix in 2020, with their most successful output being their controversial Harry & Meghan documentary, which features accusations against the royal family.

The duchess renamed her lifestyle brand As Ever, switching from the name American Riviera Orchard just weeks before the launch after facing trademarking setbacks, with Netflix now a new partner in her business.

As Ever trademark applications include a vast range of products from shower gels, incense, pet shampoo and gardening trowels to cutlery, stationery, diaries, paper party decorations, wrapping paper, ornamental non-precious stones, bird houses, honey stirrers, jams, marmalades and tea sets.