Prince William and Prince Harry used a different surname to honor their father, King Charles III, before their marriages to Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle.
Often, high-ranking members of the British royal family do not use surnames, and neither William nor Harry had one listed on their birth certificates.
William and Harry occasionally used the surname Mountbatten-Windsor as male descendants of their late grandparents, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, however while performing military service in their early 20s, they used the surname Wales.
The surname was a mark of respect for their father, who was known as the Prince of Wales before becoming king in 2022 after Elizabeth's death.
In a 2009 photo, the brothers can be seen wearing name tags that read, “William Wales” and “Harry Wales.” They used this surname because they had not yet received official titles from the monarchy.
In 2011, William became the Duke of Cambridge when he married Kate Middleton, thus "becoming" William Cambridge. However, he returned to using the surname Wales just over a decade later when his father succeeded him as Prince of Wales. His three children also took on the same surname in 2022.
Harry, on the other hand, gained the title Duke of Sussex after his 2018 marriage to Meghan Markle, becoming Harry Sussex. Although Harry and Markle stepped back from their royal duties in 2020, they were allowed to keep the Sussex surname as long as it was not used for any official business. Their children also carry the same surname.
While Harry and Markle's decision to keep the Sussex surname has caused a stir, Meghan's alum explained in her Netflix series that the "meaningful" name makes her feel closer to her children now that they all have the same surname.
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Source: Page Six
