Meghan Markle left Buckingham Palace officials “baffled” by her statement saying they forced her to change her name on baby Archie’s birth certificate, Page Six is told.
Shortly after her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry, Markle — who was born Rachel Meghan Markle — had her name officially changed to Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, we have confirmed.
This name is now believed to be on her passport and all official documents, as officially required by the Garter King of Arms and Senior Herald in England.
The Queen was the one to gift the Sussexes their titles upon their marriage.
But following Archie’s birth at London’s private Portland Hospital on May 6, 2019, his mom’s name was registered as “Rachel Meghan, Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex.” This was later amended to “Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex” that June.
After the story hit the headlines in recent days, Sussex reps released a statement Sunday saying, “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.”
It claimed the story was an attempt to whip up a “calculated family ‘snub,’” adding, “There’s a lot going on in the world; let’s focus on that rather than creating clickbait.”
However, a well-placed source told us, “This is totally baffling. The Palace did not dictate anything, this amendment was made by staff within their former office at Kensington Palace and higher-ups at Buckingham Palace were always kept in the loop.”
Another source confirmed the Palace had nothing to do with it, adding, “The birth certificate was changed by the former Office of The Duke and Duchess to ensure consistency in the name and title of The Duchess of Sussex with other private documents.”
The Sussexes, however, did not request the change, we are told. It is believed to have been carried out by their former staff.
The couple stepped down from their “senior” royal duties last year, and have been living on their own with Archie at a multimillion-dollar estate in Montecito, Calif.
Reps had no comment.