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- Meghan Markle has slammed a false report that she changed her name on Archie’s birth certificate.
- A spokesperson for the duchess said it was the palace’s decision to replace her name with HRH.
- The spokesperson criticized the report for suggesting Markle attempted to “snub” Kate Middleton.
- Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.
The Duchess of Sussex has hit back at a report that claimed she changed her name on her son’s birth certificate.
A spokesperson for Meghan Markle released a powerful statement condemning “offensive” reports that the duchess removed her first names – Rachel Meghan – from the legal document one month after Archie Harrison’s birth in May 2019.
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“‘Rachel Meghan’ was taken out to leave just ‘Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Sussex,'” The Sun reported on Saturday. “The unprecedented move could be seen as a snub to the Cambridges who have included Kate’s names on her children’s certificates. It may also be viewed as Harry aligning his wife with mum Di, who always used “Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales.”
The duchess’ spokesperson said it was Buckingham Palace’s decision, not her own, to remove her name from the document.
"The change of name on public documents in 2019 was dictated by The Palace, as confirmed by documents from senior Palace officials. This was not requested by Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex nor by The Duke of Sussex," a spokesperson for the Duchess of Sussex said in a statement obtained by Insider.
"To see this UK tabloid and their carnival of so-called 'experts' chose to deceptively whip this into a calculated family 'snub' and suggest that she would oddly want to be nameless on her child's birth certificate, or any other legal document, would be laughable were it not offensive. There's a lot going on in the world; let's focus on that rather than creating clickbait," the statement added.
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It is not known why the change was made by the palace, however Robert Jobson, royal editor at the Evening Standard, told Insider that changing the birth certificate was "normal practice."
"Meghan's title is HRH The Duchess of Sussex and therefore that is what her name is," he said.
Buckingham Palace did not respond to Insider's request for comment.