Being born into royalty comes with a guaranteed list of privileges. While those with royal titles have access to wealth, luxury, and opportunities that the common folk only dream about, there is one thing that they don’t have access to by default: a surname. The British Royal Family does have a surname that certain members use, but who uses this and when comes down to a wide variety of factors. When it comes to Prince Harry, the grandson of the Queen and the sixth in line to the British throne, the last name thing gets complicated.
There was speculation that Prince Harry’s official name would change after he and wife Meghan Markle stepped back from being senior members of the royal family, but Prince Harry still put the title of His Royal Highness on the birth certificate of his daughter Lilibet. Read on to find out what Prince Harry’s full name is and why it’s so different from his brother Prince William’s.
Does Prince Harry Have A Last Name?
The concept of last names is pretty straightforward for most people—unless you’re a royal. With the British Royal Family, the subject of last names is complicated.
The Royal Family does have an official last name, which is Mountbatten-Windsor. Historically, Queen Elizabeth II’s ancestors were the Windsor family, but she added Mountbatten to the name out of respect for her late husband, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.
The name Mountbatten is the anglicized version of Battenberg, as his mother was Princess Alice of Battenberg and his maternal grandfather had adopted the name Louis Mountbatten while living in England.
While Mountbatten-Windsor is the last name belonging to the Royal Family, not every family member uses it. The Independent explains that the Queen’s descendants who carry the style of Royal Highness and the title of Prince/Princess, won’t typically use the last name Mountbatten-Windsor.
Prince Harry, being a Prince, doesn’t use the surname. On his son Archie’s birth certificate, he listed his full name as His Royal Highness Henry Charles Albert David Duke of Sussex. The title of Duke of Sussex was given to Prince Harry by the Queen upon his marriage to Meghan Markle.
The publication points out that Prince Harry is no longer using the title HRH (and Kate Middleton is now fulfilling many of his former roles), and can choose to use Mountbatten-Windsor in official documentation if he wishes. However, he didn’t use the name on any of his children’s birth certificates.
While serving in the military, Prince Harry adopted the surname Wales. His father Charles is the Prince of Wales and when his late mother Diana was married to his father, she was titled the Princess of Wales.
What Is Meghan Markle’s New Last Name?
If Prince Harry’s last name situation is so complicated, where does that leave his wife Meghan Markle?
Elle reports that on Archie’s birth certificate, Meghan’s name was recorded as Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Sussex. However, since his birth in 2019, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have stepped down from being senior members of the Royal Family.
On their daughter Lilibet’s birth certificate, Meghan’s name is shown to be Rachel Meghan Markle, as the document asked for her birth name.
However, Meghan’s name is officially believed to be Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex.
Both Archie and Lilibet have the name Mountbatten-Windsor on their birth certificates as the children are descendants of Queen Elizabeth II but don’t currently hold royal titles, which are reserved for the “grandchildren of the sons of any such Sovereign in the direct male line (save only the eldest living son of the eldest living son of the Prince of Wales).”
Things may change when Prince Charles ascends to the throne, but Archie and Lilibet may refuse any royal titles given to them as that will secure their confidentiality as private citizens.
Why Is Prince William’s Last Name Different?
Prince Harry’s older brother Prince William, another member of the Royal Family who carries the title of Prince, similarly has a complex situation when it comes to his surname. Like his brother, Prince William doesn’t typically use Mountbatten-Windsor.
According to Yahoo, William’s official name is His Royal Highness Prince William Arthur Philip Louis Duke of Cambridge, as seen on the birth certificate of his daughter Princess Charlotte.
The title of Duke of Cambridge was given to Prince William upon his 2011 marriage to Kate Middleton. His last name, then, his technically different from Prince Harry’s because they hold different titles.
However, like Prince Harry, Prince William has also used the name Wales. He used the name when he was working in the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force and at school.
Prince William has been known to use Mountbatten-Windsor on occasion, such as when he sued the French magazine Closer for publishing topless photos of the Duchess of Cambridge.
Prince William’s children are known by the last name Cambridge at school, which is a reflection of the titles of their parents.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTErZ%2Bippeoe6S7zGiuoZmkYra0ec%2BroKeblWK1or7RsqpmpJGowW66wKacZpmemXq4tNhmoKxlmal6pbXFn5yrnZ6peqe%2BzqZksKGcobaiudJo