Meghan Markle Got a New Nickname During Her NYC Visit

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are in New York City this week, attending the Global Citizen Live event in Central Park on Saturday (here’s how to watch (opens in new tab)). As the first big, public outing for the couple since they left their official royal duties behind, nearly event moment of their trip has been covered by the press. Already, we have seen Meghan wear a selection of chic, albeit unseasonably warm (opens in new tab) coats (it’s 80 degrees, how?!), Prince Harry tote an adorably monogrammed briefcase (opens in new tab), and now, we have seen the birth of a new nickname for Meghan. That’s a lot of ground covered in just a couple days!

Now, if you are even a casual royal watcher, you may raise some hackles at the news that Meghan has been given a new nickname. The couple themselves have spoken out about (opens in new tab) their awful treatment by the press, and the racism that underlies so much of the coverage surrounding them, and names like "Megxit"—the term used to describe the pair's departure from England (opens in new tab)—was not exactly kind-spirited.

But good news: This new nickname isn’t mean, it’s just cute!

According to Express (opens in new tab), it all started when a reporter asked Meghan, “Madame Duchess, are you enjoying your time in New York?” To which Meghan replied, “It’s wonderful to be back, thank you.” And Madame Duchess—no doubt the result of our collective inability as Americans to remember exactly which titles everyone in the royal family is supposed to have—was born.

Watch the video closely to see Harry turn to Meghan and appear to smile at her while repeating, "Madame Duchess":

Twitter took to the nickname like a duck to Central Park water, of course:

So that’s that, then: From here on out, Madame Duchess Meghan Markle is our American royal. Welcome home, Madame Duchess!