Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s ‘secret nicknames’ among staff – and what inspired them
Much like other members of the Royal Family, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were bestowed special nicknames to guarantee their security.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry were given secret code names by their security detail during their tenure as senior royals, it has been revealed. Code names are often used for discretion when discussing royal members. During their time as working royals, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were known to their security team as ‘Daphne Clark’ and ‘Danny Collins’, with the initials ‘DC’ representing the Duke or Duchess of Cambridge.
British Heritage Travel reports that Meghan and Harry were also assigned nicknames. Meghan was referred to as ‘Davina Scott’, while Harry was known as ‘David Stevens’. These names were frequently used by royal security personnel, with the ‘DS’ initials standing for the Duke or Duchess of Sussex. However, since stepping back from royal duties, the couple’s security status has been downgraded, meaning they no longer receive taxpayer-funded protection when they visit the UK – a decision the Duke of Sussex is currently challenging in court.
The task of protecting the Royal Family requires guards to possess high levels of mental agility, athleticism, and threat-detection skills. The Duke of Sussex confessed that losing his security detail was an outcome he “never” anticipated. Harry and Meghan have opened up about the impact the decision to remove their security team has had, with the Duchess candidly sharing her fear for her family’s safety in the Netflix documentary Harry & Meghan.
Harry initiated legal proceedings in 2020 due to the reduction in his security provision. Despite the High Court deeming the move lawful and dismissing his case, the Court of Appeal in June agreed to consider Harry’s appeal, instigated by his legal team’s direct petition. Highlighting his emotional ties to the UK during the case, Harry conveyed through a written submission that he views Britain not only as his own ‘home’, but also as an essential element of the identity he envisages for his children.
His statement read: “The UK is a place I want them to feel at home, as much as where they live at the moment in the United States. “That cannot happen if it’s not possible to keep them safe when they are on UK soil. I cannot put my wife in danger like that and, given my experiences in life, I am reluctant to unnecessarily put myself in harm’s way too.” Harry has returned for brief visits to the United Kingdom since stepping down, lastly in May to attend the celebrations for the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games.
Bar a brief stay in Heathrow’s VIP Windsor Suite while waiting to meet with Harry before departing for Nigeria, the Duchess hasn’t visited the UK since after the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022.
The couple’s children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, were last in the country during the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June that year. While Archie briefly lived with his parents in Windsor after his birth, Lilibet was born in California and hasn’t spent more than a week in the country.