Prince Harry’s ‘real name’ revealed as Duke jokes he has ‘no idea’ over the confusion
The Prince’s real name is not, in fact, Harry – despite that being what he has always been called both publicly and privately.
Prince Harry’s real first name is not what you’d think (Image: Getty)
Prince Harry’s ‘real name’ has been revealed, with the Duke of Sussex himself recently joking about the confusion surrounding it.
The prince’s real name isn’t actually Harry. His birth name is quite different and not widely known.
The Duke of Sussex’s full name is, in fact, Prince Henry Charles Albert David.
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He also doesn’t have a last name as such. He goes by either Sussex or Mountbatten-Windsor and went by Wales as a child and young man.
Although we’ve always known him as Harry, in his official documents and during formal events, his birth name Henry is used.
For instance, when Kensington Palace announced his engagement, they referred to him as “His Royal Highness Prince Henry of Wales”. The notice said the royal “and Ms. Meghan Markle are engaged to be married”.
Neither Prince Harry and Meghan Markle go by their real first names (Image: Getty)
Even Harry himself has had a laugh about his name confusion. At the recent WellChild Awards, he engaged in a bit of banter and said: “My name is Henry, but everyone calls me Harry. I have no idea.”
He was responding to a little boy named Henry who was curious about the name choice, reports The Mirror.
The reason why we call him Harry instead of Henry remains somewhat of mystery. But Metro explains that the name Henry comes from the Old French Henri.
During medieval times, the English started using Harry as a common nickname for Henry, which even applied to Kings like Henry VIII. While Harry sustains numerous titles and uses them as needed.
According to the Telegraph, during his military service, he was recognised as Captain Harry Wales, owing to Charles’s status as the Prince of Wales at the time.
But, if required, “Mountbatten-Windsor” is another option, as declared by the Queen for any Royal Family member in need of a last name.
Interestingly, Meghan Markle has more in her name than what we know. Her actual name is Rachel Meghan Markle, with Rachel being the same first name as her breakthrough character on Suits.
Nevertheless, Meghan prefers her middle name professionally, which is now globally accepted.
Following Prince Archie’s birth in 2019, the birth certificate registered Harry, officially known as “His Royal Highness Henry Charles Albert David Duke of Sussex”, and Meghan as “Rachel Meghan Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Sussex.
However, a shift was noticeable a month after Archie’s birth when “Rachel Meghan” was omitted from the Duchess title, referring only to “Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Sussex.”
Recently, an insider shared with The Times that Meghan and Harry designated Sussex as the official surname for their family of four to create unity.
