It really irks me!

Regarding the royals, it always irked me the way the tabloid media always referred to the Princess of Wales as Lady Di! Right until the end of her life when she was by then Diana, Princess if Wales.
Now they do it with the Duchesses of Cambridge and Sussex. I don’t believe it’s a choice on behalf of the duchesses.
They don’t do it with the Countess of Wessex, can’t even remember what her maiden name was.

Hate the term 'maiden name' for starters! Ms refers to anyone who chooses to use it. My unmarried daughter uses it and I (married for 39 years) am perfectly OK with it being used for me. I did take my husband's name - it was the done thing then but if I was young now, no way would I do so. It historically signifies transferring ownership from father to husband. Probably would have gone double barrelled. I find it very strange that so many young women with successful careers, change their name on marriage still.

Someone I knew married a foreigner with whose name was difficult to pronounce. He changed his name by deed poll to hers, children known by her name. I felt terribly sorry for him. Reminds me of Prince Philip.

Although I divorced about 15 years ago I am still ‘Mrs’. I didn’t think ‘Miss’ was appropriate, and I detest ‘Ms’.

Ali08

Ms. is the shortened version of Mizz which notifies the woman is divorced!
Or, at least it did originally!!
So many things have been changed to suit new generations.

It never did. It has always - in the UK at least - been a halfway house between Miss, for an unmarried woman, and Mrs, for a married one, who didn’t necessarily want people to know their marital status, and/considered it nobody’s business but their own. This was particularly true in the 1970s, when getting married could actually still get you fired

While waiting on my divorce papers to arrive, I had the forms filled in and waiting to get posted to get back to my maiden name. We had no children so straightforward enough. I find when chatting to friends we still use other friends maiden names when talking about them, especially ones from our school days as we sometimes don't know their married surnames.

i wish i had reverted to my maiden name after my divorce, especially as i was the last one with the family name.

Bijou

When I was young Ms did not exist and women were pleased to use their husbands name after marriage.

From Wikipedia: Like Miss and Mrs., the term Ms. has its origins in the female English title once used for all women, Mistress. It originated in the 17th century.

I've never heard the association of 'Ms' with divorce. My understanding was that it began to be widely used in the 1970s when many women felt that they didn't want to have to disclose their marital status every time they said their name. (And there was a backlash with objectors making the claim that it was unpronounceable.) And around the same time, a lot of women just didn't see why they should take their husband's name. I never have done, although we've been married for a very long time.

Ali08 - so many hidden value judgments in your post and your comments.

Let's just get the facts out there. A 'maiden' is an unmarried celibate female - hence, the term 'maiden name' relates to something that in this day and age should have no meaning as considered logically this would mean it conveys personal information about a woman. The term 'Ms' does not denote a divorced woman - it is used to allow women who do not want to divulge information about their marital status to all and sundry. It would be far better for us to use the term 'birth name' because this is neutral - using the term 'family name' has connotations that a person belongs to one family rather than another with all the prestige or baggage that brings. People can decide what gender they want to convey, what biological sex they want to be, so being able to decide what they want to be called and what title they use is hardly important to anyone but them unless they call themselves something which they're not and give the impression they are professionally qualified to do something they cannot. There needs to be much more education about the whole name/title issue and more acceptance of the diversity of personal wishes in this respect.

Ali08

Alegrias1,
Ms./Mizz. was always used as a reference, on letters at least, to refer to a divorced woman. That what I was taught at the schools I attended, and by post office staff!
Whether YOU are married or single does not bother me in the least.

well I have no idea where your schools (or the post office) got that idea from.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ms.

When I was young Ms did not exist and women were pleased to use their husbands name after marriage.

Well certainly in the case of Megan Markle she is an arch feminist so would or should be more than happy to keep her maiden name unless, of course, using her married name or her title of Duchess of Sussex made her more $$$. ?

This is incorrect.Ms is a similar title to Mr in that a person’s marital status is not revealed by it.

This is legally incorrect!

I prefer my ex-husband's name to my maiden name - not to mention that it's my pen name! - so am very happy to keep it

The Daily Mail constantly referring to Kate Middleton really annoys me, it's so disrespectful.

We tend to lose our original surnames completely if we take our husband's name on marriage, whereas American women seem to keep both names just tagging on the husband's name at the end of theirs, and then sometimes after a series of divorces and remarriages, they end up with a whole string of names.

Namsnanny

MawB I know someone called Euphemia nicknamed Effie (like Effie Grey)
Always loved the name.

Aah, one of my old chums!

The “Ms. Means divorced “ is nonsense.

FannyCornforth

Didn't divorced women continue to use Mrs?
That's what I thought used to happen

This one did

But you didn’t have to lose your maiden name it was your choice to do so Alio8 you can keep your maiden name after your marriage it’s completely your choice
I am Ms by choice, because it means ‘none of your business whether I m married, single, or divorced’ just as Mr denotes no status
Your information about divorcees being called Ms is quite incorrect Alio And it’s absolutely up to you to take what title you wish
You wanted to be Mrs and you wanted your husbands name so what are you complaining about ??

I was quite proud to take my husband’s surname when we married. It helps that his is a more ‘common’ name than my maiden name was, I was always having to spell it out.

I preferred being ‘Mrs Calendargirl’ than ‘Miss Calendargirl’ also.

Back then you had more status when married, or so it seemed.

MawB I know someone called Euphemia nicknamed Effie (like Effie Grey)
Always loved the name.

I never liked my maiden name and really like my married one - although I often have to spell it. I also am fortunate enough to really like being married so am quite happy to be known as Mrs.

I think, in these days of equality, there should be an equivalent title for married men who are proud to be married. Just can't think of one though.