The baby name Princess Diana REFUSED to let King Charles give Prince Harry

In Prince Harry's tell-all memoir Spare, he revealed that King Charles wanted to call him a different name entirely. 

However, Harry's mother, the late Princess Diana was against it and his full name ended up being Henry Charles Albert David, with Harry being a known nickname for Henry.

What was the first choice? 

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In Spare, Harry divulges that initially, his father's first choice of name for him was Albert, but Diana wasn't a fan. Instead, Albert is one of their son's middle names.

Harry writes that his grandmother, the late Queen, adored Queen Victoria and his father wanted to give him the name of her husband, Prince Albert, to begin with but it was vetoed by Diana.

Interestingly, Albert is also the middle name of Charles' brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. Not many people know that Prince Harry is really called Henry.

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At the WellChild Awards in 2022, the Duke made the personal confession during a chat with the winners of the awards. Talking to a child named Henry, Prince Harry said via video call: "My name is Henry as well. But everyone calls me H."

What are Meghan's nicknames for Harry?

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In October 2022, Harry's wife Meghan revealed the endearing nickname she has given her husband.

Speaking to Tom Bradby on their ITV documentary Harry and Meghan: An African Journey, Meghan let slip what she affectionately calls her husband.

She said: "In all honesty, I have said for a long time to H - that is what I call him - it's not enough to just survive something, that's not the point of life." She continued: "You have got to thrive. You have got to feel happy, and I think I really tried to adopt this British sensibility of a stiff upper lip."

And in August 2018, the former actress revealed another pet name she has for her husband.

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While posing with the cast of the musical Hamilton after a special gala performance, Meghan, worried that she was standing in Harry's way for the group shot, said: "Can you see, my love?"

After some of the cast fawned over their cute exchange, Meghan said: "Oh!" and then laughed bashfully while Prince Harry blushed.

Another adorable nickname for Harry, revealed in March 2026, is "Papa Sussex". In an Instagram post celebrating International Women's Day, Meghan shared a photo of herself and daughter Princess Lilibet, giving Harry photographer credit under the sweet moniker.