People Are Just Finding Out Prince Harry’s First Name Is Not Actually Harry

Royal rebel Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, is a name known to anyone not living under a rock. What's, however, lesser known is that it's not his real name. Born in 1984, Harry's real name is actually Henry Charles Albert David—a name picked by his late mother, Princess Diana.

As reported by The Mirror, Harry uses 'Henry' for official statements—his royal title, for instance, is actually Prince Henry of Wales. As reported by Business Insider, the Palace's announcement of his engagement also read, "Prince Henry of Wales & Meghan Markle are engaged to be married." There's very little chance of Harry ever becoming king, but if he did, he’d likely title would be King Henry IX.

He might also go by Albert I or David I, as royals are free to use any of their given names. Harry previously revealed his true name during an interview with the 2022 WellChild Awards winners. While talking to a young boy named Henry, he said, "My name is Henry as well. But everyone calls me Harry. I have no idea why." As for his surname, Harry used Wales while he was serving in the military, which earned him the title of Captain Harry Wales, as reported by Cosmopolitan. However, after his wedding, when he was awarded the honor of the Duke of Sussex by the late Queen, Harry switched from Wales (his father's surname) to Sussex.

Harry can also use 'Mountbatten-Windsor', a last name available for all descendants of Queen Elizabeth II. Interestingly, Harry's wife Meghan Markle's real first name also isn't 'Meghan', as reported by the Daily Express. She was born as Rachel Meghan in August 1981. However, her parents always called her Meghan, and so did her friends. Strangely, her character on the hit television show Suits was also named Rachel. Markle once let slip her true name during her appearance on the talk show The Rachael Ray Show.

The host, alluding to Suits, had said, "The character's name is Rachel, which is great," when Markle interjected, "Did you know my first name is Rachel in real life? Did you know that? So I was born Rachel Meghan Markle." Prince Archie's birth certificate serves as proof of this as it cites Harry as 'His Royal Highness Henry Charles Albert David Duke of Sussex,' while Markle was recorded as 'Rachel Meghan Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Sussex'. Harry and Markle chose Sussex as their official family name after the birth of their children. Markle recently explained, "You have kids, and you go, 'No, I should share my name with my children.' I didn't know how meaningful it would be to me, but it just means so much to go, 'This is our family name, our little family name.'"