Why Harry/Henry??

[Viv]

I'm almost certain that the answer is buried somewhere in the inner core of the Royal Forums, but a quick trawl doesn't seem to help:

Would somone please tell me, why Prince Harry's official name is Prince Henry or- vice versa - why Harry is used in stead of his official name??. I know that it was decided by his parents in 1984, but IMO that doesn't explain why. I know that the name 'Henry' has precedence in the BRF and that Harry hasn't, but that doesn't explain it either, IMO.

Did 'someone' object to Harry as a 'proper' name, if you know what I mean ? Or put differently: As the first 'spare' would Prince Harry be denied a name unknown to the royal tradition?

Thanks!

Viv

[principessa]

The prince is born as Prince Henry but he is called in the family Harry.

[KittyAtlanta]

Harry is traditionally the nickname of men named Henry. Henry is a French name dating from when the British aristocracy spoke French. The English pronunciation for it is "Harry".

[Biri]

Maybe an offtop, but it nurtures me:

But President Truman's name was not Henry, was it?

[KittyAtlanta]

No, his name was Harry. My comment in #3 was related exclusively to usage in the UK.

[Kataryn]

Originally Posted by KittyAtlanta

Harry is traditionally the nickname of men named Henry. Henry is a French name dating from when the British aristocracy spoke French. The English pronunciation for it is "Harry".

The French version of Henry is Henri and, as KittyAtlanta explained, it is spoken with a nasal sound which sounds more like "Harry" than "Henry". So it is understandible why Prince Henry became Prince Harry, though I have never heard if it was planned by his parents or just happened.

[MichelleQ2]

It was announced at his birth that he would be called Harry
http://www.people.com/people/archive...088780,00.html

[Lee-Z]

Maybe king Henry VIII would also be called Harry when he was young?

[Lumutqueen]

Originally Posted by Lee-Z

Maybe king Henry VIII would also be called Harry when he was young?

Henry V definitely was, cry Harry, England and St George after all.

[cinrit]

I think Henry VIII was sometimes referred to as Hal. Henry Percy (believed to have been pledged at one time to Anne Boleyn) was known as Harry Percy.

[kathia_sophia]

but could not his parents have named officially Harry instead of Henry? it seems they personally wanted his son to be called Harry, so why not named it officially? i understand its a nickname for Henry and it makes sense if it eventually came to "Harry" with time, but since they decided it since the birth, its so weird Charles&Diana didnt opt for Harry at the birth registration.

[cinrit]

Most likely because it's a name in honor of a relative or ancestor.

[Lumutqueen]

Originally Posted by kathia_sophia

but could not his parents have named officially Harry instead of Henry?.

They could have, they chose not to. It's kind of like when people choose to be known by their middle name.

[Lee-Z]

I don't really understand the question here... isn't it quite common to have a different everyday name than your baptism name... i have: i'm baptized as Elisabeth, but the name my birth-announcement card was Liset (which is obviously a short version)...
Nothing strange about that, has been the way for ages in my culture :-)

[Mariel]

Lumutqueen, you are right on that Shakespeare has Prince Henry referred to as Hal or Harry.
The new baby--they might be careful if they pick a name which has a common nickname which isn't royal sounding. But Harry has precedence, even if only in Shakespeare,and sounds royal in that tradition.
It seems to me that it would be wonderful to chose a name for a baby which harks back to a distinguished ancestor who was not too troubled. Henry VIII is certainly a troubled reference for most of us. A name like, say, Robert, refers back to royal personages who are less troubled? I am not sure of the whole history of the royal Roberts' lives.

[cinrit]

It would be difficult to find a king with a worst reputation than Henry VIII, but there were seven other King Henrys before Henry VIII. One of them was the founder of Eton College, so it's not really such a bad name.

[Roslyn]

Originally Posted by MichelleQ2

It was announced at his birth that he would be called HarryHello, Harry! - Birth Announcements, Prince Harry, Princess Diana : People.com

Thanks for posting that link, MichelleQ2. I remembered reading about it at the time but you saved me from having to hunt around for proof.

I've always thought it strange to choose a name for your child, all the while planning to call him something else.

[Lee-Z]

Nope, as i mentioned, it's quite common (at least in some religions), but if you guys want to find some hidden meaning behind it, speculate ahead

[LauraS3514]

Just think of it along the lines of naming your son James and calling him Jim or Richard and calling him Rick, or like a friend of ours whose daughter is Alexandra but is always called Allie.

[MissByrd]

Roslyn: I agree with you and I've often wondered why anyone would do that.
When a child is named John, he is often called Jack. Robert becomes Bob. William becomes Will or Bill. James becomes Jim. Elizabeth becomes Bets, Betty, Liz, etc. :)