To the rest of the world he’s known as Prince Harry, but in Japan, they call him Henry. And silly me, I was quick to point out their mistake until I decided to write about it. Being British myself, you would expect me to know that Prince Harry’s real name is Prince Henry of Wales, and the Japanese were right all along. Thank you Wikipedia for correcting me.
You have to ask though, why do the Japanese call Harry, third in line to the throne, by his real name Henry? It’s not just a case of being poilte and respectful, because they don’t actually know that everybody else, including the prince himself, calls him Harry!
It may be pedantic, but if the Japanese must use Harry’s real name, why not apply the same rule to everyone. Let’s see… Hollywood actors Thomas Cruise Mapother IV and William Bradley Pitt, golfer Eldrick “Tiger” Woods, and former World Football Player of the Year, Ronaldo de Assis Moreira (Ronaldinho).
In fact, although King Henry VIII had six wives, he can’t hold a torch to our Prince Harry who has six names! So I’ve decided to avoid any more confusion by using his full name… Prince Henry Charles Albert David Mountbatten-Windsor of Wales.
If you like, you can find me on Twitter at @nick_ramsay. I'd love to hear from you!
I’ll bet that when the first Japanese media person learned his name, he thought that “Henry” was easier to pronounce than “Harry.”
But yeah, I never knew his name was Henry!!! Weird!!!
wow . . . as i get older, it’s hard to find something new to learn every day, but you’ve helped me accomplish that today! thanks!