# What did Prince Andrew's superiors in the Royal Navy call him? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [January 16, 2013, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-prince-andrews-superiors-in-the-royal-navy-call-him/647388 "2013-01-16T16:05:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**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:** [January 16, 2013, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-prince-andrews-superiors-in-the-royal-navy-call-him/647388/1 "2013-01-16T16:05:22Z")
Cecil’s 1987 column: [What did Prince Andrew’s superiors in the Royal Navy call him? - The Straight Dope](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/884/what-did-prince-andrew-39-s-superiors-in-the-royal-navy-call-him) Thought we had a thread about it already, but I couldn’t find it. This touches on similar issues: [Royals in the Military (UK) - Factual Questions - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=606327) ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2013, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-prince-andrews-superiors-in-the-royal-navy-call-him/647388/2 "2013-01-17T03:37:20Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Thought we had a thread about it already, but I couldn’t find it. This touches on similar issues: [Royals in the Military (UK) - Factual Questions - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=606327) Both William and Harry are known by the name Wales in the military. I just posted a post to the above-cited thread (resurrecting a zombie in the process), with a bit more detail including links to some photos showing both of them in uniform (or fatigues) with Wales name-tag visible. ---
**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:** [January 17, 2013, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-prince-andrews-superiors-in-the-royal-navy-call-him/647388/3 "2013-01-17T17:04:27Z")
Thanks! Saw it. ---
**Author:** ![Powers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Powers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Powers)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2013, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-prince-andrews-superiors-in-the-royal-navy-call-him/647388/4 "2013-01-18T20:13:04Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Both William and Harry are known by the name Wales in the military. I just posted a post to the above-cited thread (resurrecting a zombie in the process), with a bit more detail including links to some photos showing both of them in uniform (or fatigues) with Wales name-tag visible. Indeed, I had thought the answer to the question posed to Cecil would be “York”, and was a bit surprised to find it not even considered. Powers &8^] ---
**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:** [January 18, 2013, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-prince-andrews-superiors-in-the-royal-navy-call-him/647388/5 "2013-01-18T20:53:34Z")
Prince Andrew was named Duke of York on his wedding day, July 23, 1986, so he wouldn’t have been called “York” in the Falklands War of 1982, when his naval service got by far the most public attention. (Although Cecil’s column was published in October 1987, it’s possible the question was asked years earlier). It looks like the Duke’s active-duty naval career ended in July 2001: [Prince Andrew, Duke of York - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Andrew#Career_naval_officer) ---
**Author:** ![Damfino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Damfino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damfino)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2013, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-prince-andrews-superiors-in-the-royal-navy-call-him/647388/6 "2013-01-19T21:19:29Z")
Regarding the Royal Navy pronunciation of lieutenant , I have no cites but a very strong memory of a British encyclopedia in the sixties prescribing \*let \*tenant as the navy pronunciation compared to leftenant . ---
**Author:** ![Powers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Powers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Powers)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2013, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-prince-andrews-superiors-in-the-royal-navy-call-him/647388/7 "2013-01-22T00:52:58Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Prince Andrew was named Duke of York on his wedding day, July 23, 1986, so he wouldn’t have been called “York” in the Falklands War of 1982, when his naval service got by far the most public attention. (Although Cecil’s column was published in October 1987, it’s possible the question was asked years earlier). It looks like the Duke’s active-duty naval career ended in July 2001: [Prince Andrew, Duke of York - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Andrew#Career_naval_officer) A fair cop; in my defense, I was not yet a decade old when he was wedded to Miss Ferguson. Powers &8^] ---
**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:** [January 22, 2013, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-prince-andrews-superiors-in-the-royal-navy-call-him/647388/8 "2013-01-22T02:40:56Z")
No worries. ---
**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:** [January 22, 2013, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-prince-andrews-superiors-in-the-royal-navy-call-him/647388/9 "2013-01-22T15:02:16Z")
Prince Harry, while serving in Afghanistan, was known as “Capt. Wales”: [http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/21/world/gallery/prince-harry-afghanistan/index.html?hpt=hp\_t1](http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/21/world/gallery/prince-harry-afghanistan/index.html?hpt=hp_t1) ---
**Author:** ![tonyfop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/85f322/32.png) [@tonyfop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tonyfop)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-prince-andrews-superiors-in-the-royal-navy-call-him/647388/10 "2015-01-14T17:38:52Z")
I saw this picture on Facebook today, and it reminded me of this thread, so forgive me for raising a zombie. (This is my first attempt at photobucket, so bear with me…) [=142360164&filters[recent]=1&sort=1&o=0"][Photobucket | Make your memories fun!](http://s87.photobucket.com/user/Anthony_Foppiano/media/Melo_zpsc9bf395a.jpg.html?filters%5Buser%5D=142360164&filters%5Brecent%5D=1&sort=1&o=0)]([Photobucket | Make your memories fun!](http://s87.photobucket.com/user/Anthony_Foppiano/media/Melo_zpsc9bf395a.jpg.html?filters)[user) For those that don’t want to click, it is Carmelo Anthony presenting Prince Harry with an official Knicks jersey with the name “Wales” on the back, and the number 15. Both look quite uncomfortable in the picture, so i wonder if 'Melo asked a dumb question about the name, as most Americans would not know the naming convention. I was just wondering if they could have put “Harry” on the back, so that people on both sides of the pond would understand what was going on, or would that be a breach of protocol. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2015, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-prince-andrews-superiors-in-the-royal-navy-call-him/647388/11 "2015-01-15T18:06:19Z")
Not clear of OP’s question was ever answered here. Try this: > [@Wikipedia article "Mountbatten-Windsor"](#): > > For example, when the Duke of York was in the Navy, he was referred to as Lieutenant His Royal Highness, The Prince Andrew before he became The Duke of York, and Lieutenant His Royal Highness, The Duke of York afterwards - but not Lieutenant Mountbatten-Windsor. While Mountbatten-Windsor was entered into the marriage register for Prince Andrew and Princess Anne, the Prince of Wales was entered as simply “The Prince Charles Philip Arthur George”. > > It has been reported in the American press that as a practical day-to-day matter in their active Royal Navy service, both Charles and Andrew were referred to as “Lieutenant Windsor”. [Mountbatten-Windsor](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountbatten-Windsor) ---
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2015, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-prince-andrews-superiors-in-the-royal-navy-call-him/647388/12 "2015-01-16T01:46:34Z")
The last I heard, male-line descendants of Her Majesty are named “Windsor” until they are sufficiently distant from the throne that they are no longer entitled to be called “His/Her Royal Highness”, after which the “Mountbatten-Windsor” provision kicks in. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2015, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-prince-andrews-superiors-in-the-royal-navy-call-him/647388/13 "2015-01-16T06:09:42Z")
> [@John\_W.Kennedy](#): > > The last I heard, male-line descendants of Her Majesty are named “Windsor” until they are sufficiently distant from the throne that they are no longer entitled to be called “His/Her Royal Highness”, after which the “Mountbatten-Windsor” provision kicks in. The Wiki article I cited just above notes that the rule has not been applied very consistently.