Oprah Winfrey playfully mocked Meghan and Harry’s royal surname while recalling a chaotic yet hilarious Easter duck rescue at her home, revealing their quirky neighborly bond and subtly highlighting the couple’s growing obsession with their Sussex identity.

Oprah Winfrey offered a rare and humorous glimpse into her personal friendship with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle this week, sharing a lighthearted jab about their royal surname while recounting an unexpected Easter encounter with the couple—and a very chaotic duck rescue operation.

Speaking on Kelly Ripa’s *Let’s Talk Off Camera* podcast on July 16, 2025, Oprah, now 71, opened up about a comical backyard moment that quickly turned into a frenzied royal wildlife chase, all while poking fun at the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s “tongue-twisting” last name.

During the podcast, Kelly asked Oprah how she would feel about receiving baby chicks as a gift. Laughing, Oprah replied, “I’d run them straight over to the Sussexessss,” deliberately exaggerating the plural form in a playful mockery of the couple’s formal title.

The jab came just months after Meghan, 43, had publicly corrected her celebrity friend Mindy Kaling for calling her “Meghan Markle” during a Netflix cooking special, insisting, “You know I’m Sussex now.”

That moment had sparked conversation about the couple’s preference for being referred to by their royal titles, especially as they continue to distance themselves from the British monarchy while embracing their new American lives in Montecito, California.

Oprah lives just minutes away from Harry and Meghan and has been one of their most prominent supporters since their departure from senior royal duties in 2020.

She famously conducted their tell-all interview in 2021, during which the couple opened up about racism within the royal family and their mental health struggles.

But in her latest podcast appearance, Oprah didn’t shy away from some friendly teasing—even as she showed how deep their neighborly bond runs.

Recounting the Easter weekend incident, Oprah shared how Harry had called her in a panic. “I get a call from Harry, Prince Harry, on Easter Saturday, and he says, ‘Sorry to bother you, O, but we have a duck problem here,’” she explained, mimicking Harry’s British accent.

Apparently, a wild duck had laid eggs in the Sussexes’ backyard, and once the chicks hatched, the family discovered they had no suitable pond for them. Harry asked if he could bring the ducklings to Oprah’s larger property, which includes a serene pond ideal for such guests.

Oprah agreed, but asked Harry to wait a bit so her best friend Gayle King’s grandchildren could witness the adorable scene.

However, Harry—father of Prince Archie, 6, and Princess Lilibet, 4—was eager to act quickly and insisted on coming over right away. What followed was pure chaos.

As Harry opened the box containing the ducklings, the mother duck escaped and flew across the yard. “We’re chasing the mama duck who’s flown to the other side,” Oprah recalled, laughing.

“Harry’s running after her, Meghan gets out, she’s running too, chasing the mom and trying to get her to come back to her ducks.”

The chaotic but charming scene unfolded in front of Oprah’s house, with the billionaire media mogul and the royal couple scrambling after the wayward duck, trying to reunite the family.

“For like half an hour, we’re running around with the ducks in a box,” Oprah said. “We have video. It’s the funniest thing I’ve ever seen.”

Meghan had actually shared a short video of the ducklings on Instagram over the Easter holiday, captioning it, “Wishing you a Happy Easter full of love… and surprises!”

The video went viral among royal fans, but few knew the full story behind the surprise until Oprah’s revelation on the podcast.

Kelly Ripa, amused by the tale, commented that the ducks had unknowingly hit the jackpot, joking, “They’re like, ‘Wait a minute, we show up at Prince Harry’s house and now we’re at Oprah’s!’” Oprah agreed with a laugh, adding, “That duck knew exactly what she was doing.”

The conversation also revisited Meghan’s March correction of Mindy Kaling during their appearance on the Netflix series *The Kitchen Table Chronicles*. When Kaling casually referred to her as “Meghan Markle,” Meghan interrupted: “You keep saying Meghan Markle.

You know I’m Sussex now.” She elaborated on the emotional significance of the title, saying, “You have kids and you go, ‘No, I share my name with my children.’ It just means so much to go, ‘This is our family name.’”

That moment had raised eyebrows, especially as Harry and Meghan have rarely returned to the U.K. since stepping back from royal life.

Despite being named Duke and Duchess of Sussex by Queen Elizabeth II in 2018, the couple has only visited the actual county of Sussex once, for a series of engagements shortly after their wedding.

Whether Oprah’s joke signals gentle affection or quiet exasperation with the couple’s insistence on their titles is open to interpretation, but it does reflect the odd tightrope the Sussexes now walk: half royal, half Hollywood.

Still, the friendship between the two households seems intact, albeit occasionally humorous.

And if anything, Oprah’s story gave the public a rare, humanizing peek into the mundane-yet-royal chaos that comes from being a duck parent—when you’re also a prince and duchess.