Meghan and Harry ‘give children new surnames’ as rebrand continues

The Sussexes made their first public appearance amid controversy over their website revamp

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have given their children new names in the latest instalment of their rebrand.

Prince Archie Mountbatten-Windsor and Princess Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor are now known as Archie and Lilibet Sussex, a source told The Times.

According to the paper, the children have been referred to as Sussexes since the coronation, in a similar way to how Prince Harry was known as Captain Wales during his time in the military.

The Duchess and Duke of Sussex at an Invictus Games training camp at Whistler near Vancouver (Getty)

The decision to use an alternative name breaks a tradition established in 1960 that future heirs of Queen Elizabeth II would be named Mountbatten-Windsor.

Harry and Meghan received a backlash as they rebranded their existing website Archewell.com to Sussex.com as a nod to their royal past.

The Sussexes visited the training camp in Whistler to mark a year before the Invictus Games take place there ( Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press via AP)

On the homepage, a large photo of the pair smiling and clapping at last year’s Invictus Games appears, overlayed with their royal coat of arms and the title “The office of Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex”.

At the foot of the page, links to the Archewell Foundation, Archewell Productions and their Sussex Royal website appear.

The return to Sussex comes after they moved away from the title in 2020 when their “Sussex Royal” tag became a point of contention at Buckingham Palace.

Their departure from the royal family meant that the couple could use their duke and duchess titles but not HRH.

In response to the latest criticism, Meghan Markle praised the “attention to detail” and “creativity and care” of their website’s designers.

She said: “They’re not just designers; they are collaborators who elevate your ideas into visual identities. They’re a very special company. Plus they’re Canadian, so I’m a fan.”

The rebrand is a hub to showcase the charity work the couple do and to unify the family who now all use the same surname, a source told The Times.

Despite controversy stirred by the couple’s decision to opt for the name Sussex, there is no use of the world royal on the site, the source added.

It comes after the duchess announced a new podcast deal this week with Lemonada Media after she and Prince Harry ended their deal with Spotify last year.

The Sussexes have since arrived in Whistler, Vancouver to prepare for next year’s Winter Invictus Games and were pictured looking dazzling against the snowy backdrop.

Harry hit the slopes to sit-ski yesterday, a form of skiing for people who might need a wheelchair or find it difficult to stand for long periods.