Meghan Markle is reported to be preferring to call herself a princess over her primary royal title of the Duchess of Sussex.

Despite stepping back from the royal family in 2020, Meghan and husband Prince Harry still retain their royal titles. The couple now live in Montecito, California, with their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

In a previous interview, the former Suits actress appeared to ditch her Duchess title in favour of a more royal status as she referred to herself “a real-life princess”. The title is not one that Meghan has ever publicly been given, and her sister-in-law Princess Kate has only been referred to as a Princess since King Charles took the throne in 2023.

Meghan Markle has referred to herself as “a real-life princess” in past interviews
In her 2022 interview with The Cut, the Duchess stated: “It’s important to be thoughtful about it because – even with the Oprah interview, I was conscious of the fact that there are little girls that I meet and they’re just like, ‘Oh my God, it’s a real-life princess.'”

She added: “I just look at all of them and think, ‘You have the power within you to create a life greater than any fairy tale you’ve ever read’. I don’t mean that in terms of ‘You could marry a prince one day.’ I mean you can find love. You can find happiness. You can be up against what could feel like the greatest obstacle and then you can find happiness again.”

Typically marrying into the royal family would see the wife of a Prince named as ‘Princess consort’, but in the past many have taken on Duchess titles such as Kate becoming the Duchess of Cambridge when she married Prince William in 2011.

The former Suits actress became the Duchess of Sussex in 2018 after she wed Prince Harry

Despite her royal status, Meghan has focused her efforts on building the Sussex brand and that includes debuting her new business on Instagram earlier this month, which has already gained more than 570,000 followers. American Riviera Orchard is thought to be a lifestyle and cookery brand which will tie in with a new cooking show on Netflix and it’s expected that the brand will stock home decor items such as marmalades, jams and other lifestyle products. Meghan’s American Riviera Orchard is reportedly “seeking to publish online and in book form”. There has also been chatter surrounding a possible cookery show to link in with the Sussexes’ Netflix deal which is due to end in 2025.

The Sussexes originally signed a $20 million deal with the streaming giant after leaving the royal family and whilst it is due to renew next year, contracts have not yet been confirmed.