Thanks to his appearance on season three of The Traitors, Lord Ivar Mountbatten has become a bit more familiar to US audiences. He may not be a household name, but he has certainly garnered a bit of a following thanks to his success on the show. So it likely comes as no surprise, that as a member of the royal family, people would want to know his thoughts on the debate around Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, stating that her last name is Sussex on her new Netflix series, With Love, Meghan.
While he has not seen the episode, or any episode, of With Love, Meghan where she discusses her last name, he is apparently familiar with the conversation. And he decided to chime in on that conversation by stating that she is incorrect in telling people that her last name is Sussex.
According to Vanity Fair, during a recent interview, Lord Ivar was apparently asked about the Duchess of Sussex stating that her family's shared last name is now Sussex. He stated, "It’s interesting because she’s completely incorrect. Her family name is not Sussex, her family name is Mountbatten-Windsor."
Lord Ivar Mountbatten weighs in on the Sussex surname debate
Lord Ivar went on to say, "Her children are called Archie and Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor; they’re not called Archie and Lilibet Sussex because Sussex is a title. So, they are the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, but actually he’s Harry Mountbatten-Windsor and she would be Meghan Mountbatten-Windsor." And he even referenced other members of his family and their titles to explain what he was talking about.
While he might be stating that Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex is incorrect in telling people her last name is Sussex, I don't think he is trying to be malicious in his explanations. I think he is just sharing the facts as he knows them or sees them. That being said, there has been further discussions around the Sussex last name that seem to indicate that there is really nothing wrong with Meghan and the family using Sussex as their shared last name.
In fact, Rebecca English, who is a royal editor explained that while Lord Ivar Mountbatten might be correct in the fact that legally the family's last name is Mountbatten-Windsor, "Members of the Royal Family - indeed, the peerage generally - often use their dukedom or title as a ‘shorthand surname." English even states that, "the Sussexes are not doing anything unusual here as it is common practice within the Royal Family and the British peerage."
So while there may be some questions as to whether or not Sussex is the correct last name, there is no denying that there is a precedent for members of the royal family to use their titles as a surname when needed or wanted. In fact, at one point Prince Harry himself utilized his father's title, when he was the Prince of Wales, as a last name. So it is certainly something that we have seen before, even with Prince Harry.
Personally, I don't think Lord Ivar has an issue with Meghan, and was simply commenting on the situation as someone more familiar with royal customs. That being said, If there are people with titles and dukedoms out there using those titles as a last name, then why can't the Sussexes do the same thing?