# Prince Harry's future titles **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 21, 2010, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harrys-future-titles/561396 "2010-11-21T02:06:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![snowmaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e99b99/32.png) [@snowmaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowmaster)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2010, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harrys-future-titles/561396/1 "2010-11-21T02:06:48Z")
HRH is currently Prince Henry of Wales. All of the following irelevent of any future peerage for him… My understanding is that should either his father or brother succeed to the throne, he becomes THE Prince Henry. When Her Majesty the Queen dies, presumably his father Prince Charles will succeed the throne. At this point, his father no longer being Prince of Wales, will he still rightly be called Prince Henry of Wales when there is no Prince of Wales? Suppose Charles as King creates William Prince of Wales, would Harry still then be Prince Henry of Wales, even though his brother holds the welsh title? Suppose instead that His Majesty King formerly known as Prince Charles dies, and Prince William succeeds to the throne. Absent any children from William, therefore no Prince of Wales, is Harry as heir presumptive still The Prince Henry of Wales, even though there is no incumbent Prince of Wales? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2010, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harrys-future-titles/561396/2 "2010-11-21T02:54:37Z")
The king/queen decides who becomes Prince of Wales. If Charles becomes king, Prince Henry will remain Prince Henry of Wales (though it looks like the “of Wales” is usually dropped by this time) until and unless Charles names him Henry, Prince of Wales. Looking at the most recent historical parallel, King George VI was “Prince Albert of Wales” until he dropped that and just used “Prince Albert.” He was later made Duke of York before becoming king, and he was never Prince of Wales. Most likely, King Charles will make his sons Dukes at some point. ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2010, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harrys-future-titles/561396/3 "2010-11-21T03:39:37Z")
Harry is only His Royal Highness Prince Henry of Wales because his father is Prince of Wales; when Charles becomes king, the title Prince of Wales becomes vacant, and Harry becomes HRH Prince Henry. Similarly, Will becomes HRH Prince William, until he is made Prince of Wales (which will probably happen fairly quickly, as he’ll be well along by then); Harry will still be plain HRH Prince Henry until he receives another title – presumably a duchy. I imagine they’ll have to revive one for him – maybe Clarence; Cornwall and Rothesay will pass to William. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2010, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harrys-future-titles/561396/4 "2010-11-21T03:45:29Z")
There are an even dozen vacant royal dukedoms that William and Harry might get: [Royal dukedoms in the United Kingdom - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Dukedoms_in_the_United_Kingdom) ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2010, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harrys-future-titles/561396/5 "2010-11-21T05:19:40Z")
Yes, but several of these are unlikely to be revived – for example, there will probably never again be created a Duke of Windsor; there are already heirs to Albany and Cumberland, should they choose to claim them; and I suspect that a royal dukedom is unlikely to be revived if it’s not already part of the peerage of the United Kingdom, as opposed to England. Clarence is one of the oldest dukedoms (damn, I hate that word) in England, it’s been held by a younger sibling of the Heir Apparent before, it’s a UK title, and it’s currently vacant. And Wiiliam’s going to be Cornwall and Rothesay; Elizabeth could settle a lesser dukedom on him now, but she won’t, so Harry won’t get one until Charles is king. Betcha. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2010, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harrys-future-titles/561396/6 "2010-11-21T05:35:47Z")
If he’s still single be known as “His Royal Highness the Prince _Henry_ of the United Kingdom”, otherwise it’d be “His Royal Highness the Duke of \_\_\_\_\_”. For the most part the “of the UK” would be omited except in very formal contexts like academic literature, history books, or government treaties. Traditionally the 2nd royal son of the monarch is made Duke of York, but that title would become available untill current titleholder (Prince Andrew) dies (since he doesn’t have any sons it reverts to the Crown). No Duke of York has _ever_ passed the title onto his son; all have either become King or died without leaving male issue. ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2010, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harrys-future-titles/561396/7 "2010-11-21T05:42:15Z")
Confused American here: What’s the difference between “Prince Henry of Wales” and “Henry, Prince of Wales”, besides word order? ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2010, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harrys-future-titles/561396/8 "2010-11-21T05:49:54Z")
THe former is the son of the current Prince of Wales,the latter in PoW in his on right. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2010, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harrys-future-titles/561396/9 "2010-11-21T06:29:11Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > No Duke of York has _ever_ passed the title onto his son; all have either become King or died without leaving male issue. Not so. Edmund Langley, the [first Duke of York](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_of_Langley,_1st_Duke_of_York) was one of Edward III’s sons; he passed the title to his son, [the second Duke](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_of_Norwich,_2nd_Duke_of_York). He died childless, so King Henry V allowed the title to pass to the second Duke’s nephew, [Richard Plantagent, the third Duke](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Plantagenet,_3rd_Duke_of_York#Descent_of). When he was killed, the dukedom passed to his son, [Edward Plantagnet](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_IV_of_England), the fourth Duke of York, who became Edward IV. Edward in turn granted the dukedom to his second son, [Richard, the 1st Duke](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_of_Shrewsbury,_1st_Duke_of_York) in the second creation of the title, one of the Princes in the Tower.