Prince William and Prince Harry Used This Last Name Before Marriages to Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle

Prince William and Kate Middleton

The future king’s full name, William Arthur Philip Louis (born June 21, 1982) is filled with tradition, including Philip as a nod to his grandfather, Arthur, which he shares with Prince Charles, and Louis, which he passed down to his two sons as well.

In the 1992 book Diana: Her Story, it was revealed that Princess Diana actually picked her two sons’ names after vetoing her husband Prince Charles’ picks.

When she was asked, “Who chose [Harry’s] name?,” Diana answered, “I did… chose William and Harry, but Charles did the rest.” She also revealed Charles’ original picks: “He wanted Albert and Arthur, and I said no. Too old!”

After William and Catherine “Kate” Middleton married in 2011, they became the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. When his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II died and his father Charles ascended to the throne in 2022, they became the Prince and Princess of Wales.

Incidentally, they also replaced Charles and now Queen Camilla as Duke and Duchess of Cornwall, Duke and Duchess of Rothesay, and Earl and Countess of Chester. 

They’ve also had the Scottish titles Earl and Countess of Strathearn since their wedding day and are known as Baron and Baroness Carrickfergus in Northern Ireland. 

And that’s not all.