Prince Harry was described as the “Prince of Wales”—his brother’s title—in a court filing by Samantha Markle’s attorney, Newsweek can reveal.
The Duke of Sussex was born “Prince Henry of Wales” and is described as such by Meghan Markle’s lawyers in court filings from the libel case filed against her by her half-sister.
However, Harry has never been the “Prince of Wales,” a title reserved for the next in line to the British throne and currently held by his brother Prince William.
Before Queen Elizabeth II’s death, King Charles III was Prince of Wales, while Princess Diana in her lifetime was the Princess of Wales. Princess Kate now holds the latter title.
A court filing by Samantha’s lawyers, seen by Newsweek, reads: “Amidst the ongoing publicity of their fairytale engagement and wedding, and subsequent fallout with the ‘Royals,’ Meghan started a production studio, Archewell Productions with her husband, Harry, Prince of Wales.”
A later passage read: “The 6-part Series delved into the inner lives of Meghan and her husband, Harry, Prince of Wales, discussing everything from their early lives to their wedding and eventual fallout with the Royal Family. It also was the platform which Meghan used to attack her sister, Samantha.”
A third reads: “It is safe to say that prior to Meghan’s engagement to Harry, Prince of Wales, the world at large never heard of Samantha Markle.”
Samantha filed her lawsuit against “Meghan Markle,” which is her pre-married name and commonly used by news organizations, including Newsweek, as that is how the public know her.
However, she is technically Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, and her lawyers have been repeatedly trying throughout the case to pivot to using her formal title, adding the pointed “sued as Meghan Markle” to their filings.
Their most recent brief went a step further and described her as “The Duchess of Sussex (erroneously sued as ‘Meghan Markle’).”
That was back in September and the latest filing by Samantha’s lawyers makes no reference to “Duchess of Sussex” anywhere in the document, continuing instead to describe her as “Meghan Markle.”
The case is currently at the Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit after Samantha lost at Federal Court in the Middle District of Florida.
The judge in that original case referred to the royal by her father’s surname while at others acknowledged her more formal title.
Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell wrote in her order dismissing the case: “Samantha M. Markle (“Plaintiff”) is a citizen of Florida and half-sister to Meghan Markle, also known as Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex (“Defendant”).”