The Duke of Sussex's high-profile appearance on the Joe Marler Will See You Now podcast has sparked a lot of conversation, but I was particularly surprised by something he said early on. Prince Harry introduced himself to listeners with his rather long full name - Henry Albert Charles David - and then listed his occupations, starting with "full-time dad".
He included "Prince of England" too, which has earned criticism from some people since he stepped back as a working royal in 2020. However, I was taken aback because this was a rather big mistake on Harry's part. After all, the Kingdom of England hasn't formally existed since 1707.
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That was when the Acts of Union officially merged the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland together formally into Great Britain. Nowadays it's the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, so whichever way you look at it, Harry was incorrect with his phrasing.
Although you can debate whether he should or shouldn't have said "Prince" is his occupation, the Duke of Sussex definitely can't be a Prince of an extinct Kingdom.
He *is* a Prince of the United Kingdom and we know this is what the senior royals give as their job title. The Princess of Wales's occupation is listed as Princess of the United Kingdom on her children's birth certificates and Prince William is Prince of the United Kingdom on the paperwork too. William has been open about being "rubbish" at royal history, though 12-year-old Prince George seems to have got a flair for the facts.
The Prince of Wales said on The Reluctant Traveler last year, "Actually, George, my son, is way better in history than I am. I have to check with him now on my dates. I think I probably need some history lessons... I could do with that."
After giving Prince of England as a job during his podcast interview, Prince Harry did go on to settle on his last option, Duke, "for today". Queen Elizabeth bestowed the Dukedom of Sussex on him in 2018 and now it's become his family name.
Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet were given the surname "Mountbatten-Windsor" at birth, but it makes sense that they seem to go by Archie and Lilibet Sussex now. Their cousins are known as George, Charlotte and Louis Wales after William's senior title and this is traditional.
When they were at school, William and Harry used the surname Wales because King Charles was Prince of Wales at the time. It might make things simpler when your title and name match up. Archie and Lilibet took on Prince and Princess of Sussex titles when their grandfather ascended the throne and this is now how they're listed in the royal line of succession.
Expert and Woman's Royal Editor Emily Andrews expressed her belief earlier this year that, "To [her], it's obvious that King William will, at the very least, strip Archie and Lili of their prince/princess titles" one day. This would be a momentous decision for him to take, though King Charles has reminded us all that it is possible after stripping his brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's Princely title.
