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- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announce their engagement outside Kensington Palace.
- source
- Reuters
- Prince Harry’s name is world-famous, and he also gets called that by his family.
- But his name is actually Henry – and his formal title is Prince Henry of Wales.
- Official notices – like his engagement notice – use his proper name.
- In the unlikely event that he becomes king, he could revert to the name and be called Henry IX.
Prince Harry is one of the most famous people on earth – even more so with the royal wedding just around the corner.
But, although millions of people around the world recognise his name, it’s worth recalling that he’s not actually called Harry.
The prince, in fact, is named Henry. Harry is an informal nickname, albeit one that has been adopted by almost everybody, including his family.
However, “Henry” is still rolled out for formal occasions as part of his full, official title: Prince Henry of Wales.
The official announcement of the engagement had the title “Prince Henry of Wales & Meghan Markle are engaged to be married.” It was hosted on his official website, princehenryofwales.org.
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- The official engagement announcement.
- source
- Clarence House/Business Insider
Harry is currently sixth in line to the throne, and every time William and Kate have a child, he moves back one spot. He is, therefore, very unlikely ever to become king.
But if he did, he would likely be known as King Henry IX – though royals can choose any of their multiple names, so Henry Charles Albert David could also go for Charles III, Albert I, or David I.
Royals named Henry have been known by the nickname Harry for centuries – at least since the time of Shakespeare, who used “Harry” repeatedly in his plays to refer to Henry V.