Meghan Markle’s bombshell interview – new surname, business woes and why she really left Invictus

Meghan Markle has given one of her most candid interviews yet setting the record straight on several bombshell claims – just hours before the release of her new Netflix show.

The Duchess of Sussex has opened up about her life as a mum to Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, her trademark issues that forced her to scrap her American Rivera Orchard brand name in favour of As Ever and hit back at claims she’s morphed into a tradwife with the release of With Love, Meghan, which focuses on cookery and hosting tips.

The interview, with US celebrity magazine PEOPLE also sees her talk about her surname and title and open up about how much Prince Harry was involved in the development of her new show. Here we look at the biggest revelations from her eyebrow-raising interview…

Breaks silence on trademark woes

In the interview, Meghan talks for the first time about the trademark woes that forced her to change the name of her new lifestyle brand to As Ever. Last year, to much fanfare, she launched the brand under it’s previous name American Riviera Orchard – but she faced a catalogue of legal issues when it came to securing the name.

Last month, she took to Instagram to announce the shock news she was ditching the American Riviera Orchard name, launching the new As Ever brand name, logo and website. And talking about it for the first time, she admitted to PEOPLE: “There are tons of twists and turns — even with the name. I was figuring it out in real time.”

Addressing the public scrutiny, she added: “I appreciate everyone who gave me the grace to make mistakes and figure it out and also to be forgiving with myself through that. It’s a learning curve.”

Hits back at tradwife label

One criticism that Meghan has faced since revealing her new project is that despite proclaiming to be a feminist, her show and brand have “trad wife” – short for “traditional wife” – vibes given it shows her cooking in the kitchen and picking berries in the garden.

In the interview, she hits back at the label saying: “I like being able to do a hybrid.” Talking about how she sometimes orders a Chinese takeaway she adds: “but even when I get takeout, I will try to plate it beautifully. The series is about doing what you can do and doing it with love.”

Addresses confusion over house

Meghan also addresses in the interview why she chose to film her new show at a rental property rather than her and Harry’s multi-million pound Montecito mansion.

The show was actually filmed close by in farmhouse owned by California philanthropists Thomas and Sherrie Cipolla. Explaining her decision Meghan says she wanted to protect her own home as a “safe haven”. She added: “We’re a close-knit family, and I love those moments — putting Lili down for a nap, having lunch together, having sacred time together at the end of the day. Our kitchen is where Mama just cooks for the family, and with a crew of 80-plus people, that’s a lot of people to have in your house!”

Brushes off neighbour claims

In several reports over the last few months, Harry and Meghan have faced claims that their neighbours in Montecito haven’t welcomed living near the former royal couple.

However, Meghan has appeared to hit back at this, talking about how much her family, especially Archie and Lili have become part of the community. She explained: “Once you know us, I think you want us to have the same normalcy as parents and for our children as they do, despite however unique our situation is.”

She also said that she and Harry go to a lot of dinners both at neighbours homes and in local restaurants where they can “just have fun”.

Clear message Harry gave Netflix crew

While Meghan has admitted her new show wasn’t filmed inside the home she shares with Harry, Archie and Lili, it sounds like her family were regulars on the set.

Being the supportive husband he is, Meghan says Harry popped in regularly to see how they were getting on. There are also clips of the couple sharing affectionate cuddles in the trailer, to the delight of royal fans around the world.

But a member of the crew has revealed he made sure he never stole the spotlight away from his wife. They told PEOPLE: “Whenever Harry visited set, he was always super polite and friendly but it was clear he wanted this to be Meghan’s moment to shine.”

New surname

Elsewhere in the chat, Meghan confirmed the surname she now uses in her post-royal life, and it’s the same one the couple have decided to give Archie and Lili.

Members of the Royal Family don’t officially have surnames as they have HRH titles instead. So, for example, Meghan’s official name is Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. However this isn’t practical in normal life, especially for children at school, so royals tend to turn their title into a surname.

And it seems Meghan and Harry have stuck to this tradition, with Meghan, Archie and Lili all using the surname Sussex. Meghan explains how much this shared named means to her, saying: “It’s our shared name as a family, and I guess I hadn’t recognised how meaningful that would be to me until we had children,” she says. “I love that that is something that Archie, Lili, H and I all have together. It means a lot to me.”

Sick kids

In another admission about mum life, Meghan revealed that during her time at the Invictus Games with Harry in Vancouver, her children Archie and Lili were sick.

The Duchess reveals that she was staying in close contact with mum Doria who was caring for the youngsters – making sure they sipped bone broth and were seen by a doctor. Meghan only stayed for several days before heading back to California early without Harry.

Suits returns

In the interview, Meghan shares her thoughts on the return of the hit show that made her famous – Suits. She said: “I love that it gets a new breath of fresh air.”

She also revealed that she’s just finished watching Netflix’s Black Doves, and that she and Harry love the Apple TV comedy Shrinking, which stars Harrison Ford and Jason Segel.

Pre-bed routine with Harry

Meghan also speaks about mornings in the Sussex household, revealing she gets up before the kids at about 6.30am.

She gets the children up and dressed before heading down for breakfast. But she admits that while she loves making breakfast, there isn’t always time – so sometimes they “just put a frozen waffle in the toaster and call it a day”.

She also shared the cute way she and Harry end their days after the kids have gone to bed. She says they do “nightly recaps”, where they chat about their day over a glass of wine while making lunch boxes for the following day.