Featured Image Credit: Pool/Samir Hussein/WireImage
Topics: Prince Harry, US News, UK News, Royal Family, Meghan Markle, Prince Archie
Rhianna Benson
Topics: Prince Harry, US News, UK News, Royal Family, Meghan Markle, Prince Archie
Much has been said in recent days about monarchical monikers - especially after Meghan Markle last week revealed that she, her husband and their two children share a secret surname.
But there's an aspect to five-year-old Prince Archie's birth certificate that has recently left some royal spectators utterly baffled - the listing of his father, Prince Harry's official title.
For those in need of a reminder, the official documentation sees the youngster's 40-year-old father Harry named as, 'His Royal Highness Henry Charles Albert David Duke of Sussex'.
And before you say it, it isn't the first name being 'Henry' instead of 'Harry' that has left people stumped.
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Firstly, the nickname 'Harry' is often used in these circumstances - even tyrant king Henry VIII was known as 'Harry' by his buddies, as per Metro.
And the father-of-two once confessed he has no idea why his parents, King Charles III and the late Princess Diana, gave him the name 'Henry' in the first place.
Speaking previously with a child named Henry at the WellChild Awards, he told the child: "My name is Henry as well. But everyone calls me Harry." As per Entertainment Tonight, he went on to admit: "I have no idea why."
No - it's the fact that the birth certificate totally omits the title 'Prince' that is being seen as rather confusing.
This is somewhat strange, considering his big brother William is listed as 'Prince' on the documentation for his three children - George, Charlotte and Louis. 'His Royal Highness Prince William Arthur Philip Louis Duke of Cambridge', William's listing says.
Such was also the case when the former Prince Charles welcomed him and William, writing his title as 'His Royal Highness Prince Charles Philip Arthur George Prince of Wales'.
According to Business Insider, it may well be because Harry's legal name is just 'Henry Charles Albert David', and Vanity Fair adds that the title 'Prince' is a separate designation, and is most definitely not a part of his given name.
Oddly, however, the title 'Prince' was added to Harry's official moniker when his engagement to Meghan was announced in November 2017.
An official palace statement released at the time read: "His Royal Highness Prince Henry of Wales and Ms. Meghan Markle Are Engaged to Be Married."
Confused? Same, babes.
One thing Harry's family have been clear on recently, however, is their surname.
Speaking on her new self-fronted Netflix series last week, former Suits actress Meghan announced that her family have gone by the surname 'Sussex' for some time.
She also told People Magazine days prior that her husband's grandmother, the late Queen, bestowed the name upon them following their 2018 wedding.
"It’s our shared name as a family," Meghan told the outlet.
"And I guess I hadn’t recognised how meaningful that would be to me until we had children. I love that that is something that Archie, Lili, H and I all have together."