Meghan Markle Accused of Desperately Clinging to Duchess Title — Years After Stepping Down as a Working Royal With Prince Harry and Bashing His Family
Meghan Markle attended her final engagement as a working royal in March 2020.
Nov. 25 2025, Published 2:30 p.m. ET
The revelation that Meghan Markle has herself announced as the Duchess of Sussex wherever she goes has renewed scrutiny of how she continues to "cling" to the royal title, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Markle, 44, is now being chided for the gesture, as royal experts point out that the self-aggrandizing move is something that more prominent working members of the monarchy would never think to do.
'Not Protocol'
Harry and Markle received the dukedom titles on the assumption they would work serving the monarchy.
Markle received the title on her wedding day to Prince Harry in May 2018 from the late Queen Elizabeth II, who believed the couple would serve the crown as working members of the royal family for years to come.
Instead, they quit in January 2020 after only 18 months, yet continue to use their duke and duchess titles for marketing and commercial purposes today, despite the queen explicitly telling them not to.
"This is not protocol, let alone royal protocol," British broadcaster Helena Chard told Fox News Digital about Markle having herself announced as "Meghan, Duchess of Sussex" when entering rooms, which was revealed in a Harper's Bazaar cover story published on November 18
"It’s bizarre and highlights that Meghan attaches enormous importance to her royal status," Chard continued.
'A Sense of Importance'
Markle and Harry quit the monarchy in 2020 to move to America in hopes of making a financial windfall.
"Meghan will cling to her Duchess of Sussex title because it gives her a sense of importance," the royal observer noted. "The title remains useful for Meghan’s business activities, particularly in the United States. It gets people talking and keeps her in the limelight."
Chard snarked about how Markle's look-at-me posturing has become comical with her heavy dependence on her royal title five years after quitting the monarchy and remaining estranged from its members.
"One thing is for sure: she certainly keeps giving comedy writers fabulous content. They must be having a field day," she wryly remarked.
Title-Coveting Exposed
Markle's haughty habit of having herself announced as a duchess as drawn plenty of backlash.
Markle's thirsty attention from her title, even in nearly empty rooms, was revealed by the Harper's Bazaar article's author, Kaitlyn Greenidge.
She observed: "We’re in a grand brownstone on the Upper East Side that belongs to one of Meghan’s friends. When I enter, the house manager announces, 'Meghan, Duchess of Sussex,' even though we appear to be the only other two people in the house."
Earlier in the piece, Greenidge wrote that they were set to meet with preteen girls from a STEM Academy during an outing to Los Angeles' La Brea Tar Pits.
While the students were "unaware" of who they were about to meet, a golf cart pulled up, and Markle was announced as "The Duchess of Sussex" to the young ladies.
'Beyond Pretentious'
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Markle continues to use her duchess title to promote her As Ever brand line of fruit spreads, honey and tea.
"Nothing she does is by accident," royal expert Hilary Fordwich scoffed to Fox News Digital about Markle's announcements of her "royal" presence.
"This was very intentional. Instructions were given, so it appears she was making a point, sadly for her, probably not the point she intended. The use of her royal title is beyond pretentious. It’s hypocritical at best," Fordwich fumed.
"What this story shows is how attached to her royal links Meghan is," royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told the outlet. "The scene where the title is used when there are only two people in the room highlights this. It just seems comical."
Chard warned: "Meghan loves the pomp, sparkle, and drama. She works on the premise that all publicity is good publicity. Visibility is her thing, but it can also lead to the collapse of a person or brand."
