The world was stunned when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced their decision to step down as senior royals. But now, Prince Harry has caused even more excitement by choosing to change his name. Are you curious to find out what he changed it to and why? Read on to find out!
Since their marriage in 2018, Prince Harry has made several major changes in his life, including his name. As you may know, in 2018, Meghan became the Duchess of Sussex. This made her the first American, divorced, and black woman to join the royal family. Together, Meghan and Harry worked tirelessly to fulfill their royal duties, embarking on various royal tours and visits around the world.
Meghan quickly captured the hearts of people everywhere and set an excellent example within the royal family. However, not everyone was accepting of Meghan’s entrance into the royal family. Some claimed that she “wasn’t royal enough.” Additionally, Meghan was labeled a “diva” due to alleged high-maintenance behavior, causing some servers to quit their jobs. These reports, although not entirely reliable, still made headlines.
One of the controversies surrounding Meghan and Harry was their habit of flying in private jets, which caused quite a stir in the media. Meghan faced most of the criticism for this choice. Furthermore, Meghan’s parenting style was unfairly criticized, with the paparazzi shaming her for awkwardly holding baby Archie. As a new mother, this was completely uncalled for.
Living under the constant spotlight of the media took a toll on Meghan. During an interview, she shared that she takes each day as it comes and that it’s hard for people to understand what it’s truly like. She bravely admitted to feeling the pressure and how adopting a “stiff upper lip” British sensibility had its damaging effects on her mental health.
Feeling the weight of it all, Meghan and Harry made the surprising decision to step down as senior members of the royal family. Their joint Instagram post read, “After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution. We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen.” This move granted them complete freedom to shape their own lives, with Harry remaining loyal to his family while Meghan pursues other ventures outside royal protocol.
Taking a break from public life, Meghan and Harry rented a mansion in Vancouver, Canada, before moving to Los Angeles, California, with their son Archie. Amidst this break, Meghan scored her first job narrating a documentary about elephants on Disney+. The couple was due to announce their future plans soon, but their sudden decision to close down their social media accounts and take a few months off surprised many. According to royal expert Omid Scobie, who discussed this move on The Heir Podcast, it seems that Meghan and Harry simply needed a break themselves amidst all the talk and preparation for their future projects.
The decision to take a break seems to be the right move, as CTV’s Laney Lui agrees. She believes that flaunting their plans at this time would have been insensitive, considering the current global circumstances. Instead, Meghan and Harry released a farewell message, expressing gratitude to their community for the support, inspiration, and shared commitment to making the world a better place.
Interestingly, after stepping down from their royal roles, Prince Harry’s name has undergone some changes. According to registered travel documents, he has dropped his Royal surname, no longer using his HRH title or Mountbatten-Windsor. In addition, he has also ditched the surname Wales, which he used both at school and during his time in the army. While his full new title is Prince Henry Charles Albert David, Duke of Sussex, in our hearts, he will still be known as Prince Harry.
What do you think of Prince Harry’s name change? Let us know your thoughts!
