Prince Harry seemingly does a complete U-turn on how he wishes to be addressed, adopting a more formal title. Harry and his wife Meghan Markle bid farewell to their royal lives back in 2020, forfeiting their claim to royal titles bestowed on the British prince. The couple now has the right to embrace their preferred form of address in line with social and cultural demands.
The Duke appeared to pass across a message on how he wished to be addressed during a tourism conference in Edinburgh that year, choosing to simply go by his first name. At the time, event host Ayesha Hazarika announced that the Prince “made it clear” that everyone should just call him Harry before proceeding to introduce him to the audience with the chosen monicker, no title attached. Prince William stuck to this informal method of address when he publicly mentioned his brother’s name for the first time in years in a tidbit from his upcoming documentary Prince William: We Can End Homelessness.
Subsequently, discussions surrounding Prince Harry’s name have flooded the tabloids, also opening up conversations about his acceptable method of address by the general public after he and Meghan forfeited their royal titles. In a shocking U-turn from his initial insistence on informality, the Duke of Sussex, and his wife Meghan Markle reportedly go by more formal titles these days.
How Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Wish to Be Addressed
A resurfaced interview with the Invictus Games CEO Scott Moore reveals how the Sussexes’ staff were asked to address them as “Sir” and “Ma’am” respectively. Scott, appointed CEO of Harry’s Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025, explained that in preparation to receive the Prince and his wife Meghan Markle back in February 2024, he made sure to ask how best to address the royal couple when they arrive. He received a response suggesting the couple’s preference for formality. Scott recounted,
“I did make sure to ask how I should be addressing them when they get here, and I was told the simple sir and ma’am is fine.”
Notably, royal protocols demand the use of the title “Your Royal Highness” first when addressing members of the royal family. Thereafter, the term “Sir” or “Ma’am” could suffice for males and females respectively. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s apparent preference for such formalities despite giving up their royal titles post-Megxit is a stark contrast to the initial move to ditch formalities.
It is worth noting that members of the royal family are big on names and titles, mostly owing to pages of royal protocols and traditions. In his book, Spare, Prince Harry disclosed how King Charles once suggested that the Princess of Wales spell her name as “Katherine” rather than “Catherine” as the royal family already had two royal ciphers with the letter “C” in them. Additionally, Harry and Meghan’s insistence on referring to the Princess as “Kate” despite her preference for “Catherine” reportedly created some tension between the Sussexes and the Wales couple. Hence, when it comes to British royals, one can’t overemphasize the importance of getting those titles and monickers in order, no matter how trivial it may seem. Scott Moore understood the assignment!
