Sarah Ferguson’s title has been dragged into a Meghan Markle row, as fans have claimed to spot a new “mistake” in the Duchess of Sussex’s Instagram account.
Meghan made a surprise return to Instagram on New Year’s Day, delighting fans with her first post on the platform.
Following her initial post, fans noticed the royal’s name in her bio had been quietly changed from “Meghan” to “Meghan, Duchess of Sussex”.
The modification sparked immediate discussion among royal watchers, who pointed out a significant detail in the title’s formatting.
The omission of “The” before “Duchess of Sussex” caught the attention of eagle-eyed observers, who noted this carried a specific meaning in royal protocol.
The absence of “The” traditionally indicates divorced status, which does not apply to Meghan, who married Prince Harry in 2018.
Royal enthusiasts were quick to highlight the “error” on Meghan’s new social media profile.
A royal fan page wrote: “Hopefully we will see another update, as she left out the ‘The’ in her title. No ‘The’ before Duchess of Sussex means she is a divorcee.
Another observer noted plainly: “Meghan, Duchess of Sussex is the divorced style.”
The distinction can be seen in real-world examples, as Sarah Ferguson has used “Sarah, Duchess of York” since her 1996 divorce from Prince Andrew.
The 65-year-old former royal has not included “The” in her title since the dissolution of her marriage.
Despite the title controversy, many Sussex supporters expressed enthusiasm for Meghan’s return to social media.
Happy New Year to Meghan Markle! So happy for her after everything she’s been through! Can’t wait to see her Instagram posts again!” wrote one fan on X, formerly Twitter.
Another supporter commented: “She looks so carefree! I’m so happy for her and her little family!”
The account, which was initially created in June 2022, remained inactive until its New Year’s Day debut.
As of January 2, the Instagram profile had already amassed one million followers.
