
As much as fans think they know about the royal family, there's one area that a lot of us don't really think about: Their names. Of course, we're familiar with Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle, but most of the time, we forget that Kate and Meghan aren't technically their first names — and they're not the only ones! Going all the way back to the 1800s (and possibly even before), members of the royal family have changed their names before they rule for all kinds of reasons, and it's really interesting to find out what their names actually were at birth, and why they ultimately decided they wanted to go by something different.
Believe it or not, there are a number of members of the royal family who don't go by their real names, and it's far more than we ever imagined. It's not just the ladies who are going by different names, either; Prince Harry and Prince Charles have done the same thing. Some of them like to go by nicknames, whereas others have changed their names entirely. It's pretty crazy to think about how things would be different if they went by their given names forever!
Read on for all the royals who have changed their names and why — for those who went on the record to share the reason publicly. It's definitely interesting to see how things have changed over the years, but among the royals, the tradition of changing things up seems to have stuck around, even across different centuries. Who knows who else will end up changing their name down the line? Once Charles (and later William and George) is ruling, there's no telling what could happen.
Kate Middleton

Though Kate Middleton is obviously known as Kate — and the Duchess of Cambridge — her real first name is actually Catherine, with Kate being a nickname. In full, her name is Catherine Elizabeth Middleton, so it makes sense that she'd want to go by something that's just a bit shorter. At this point, after following along with her for so long, she definitely seems much more like a Kate than a Catherine, anyway.
William Calls Her Catherine, Though

Because members of the royal family tend to avoid using nicknames in public, it's no surprise that William refers to his wife as Catherine and not Kate when he's speaking about her. And according to what royal correspondent Rebecca English told Express, it's actually the name she prefers these days.
"I think they thought it was more formal, more dignified, more royal," English said. "And to be fair, it is the name her family refers to her. Needless to say, though, they were pretty much ignored."
Meghan Markle

This one might come as a bit of a shock to some people: Meghan Markle's first name isn't Meghan at all. Actually, her name is Rachel Meghan Markle, and she prefers to go by her middle name. This isn't all that unusual, though. Plenty of people like to switch things up in this way, and Meghan happens to be one of them — and because she started out as an actress, it does make sense, since Meghan Markle has a better ring to it than Rachel Markle.
Why Doesn't She Go by Rachel

Unfortunately, Meghan has never opened up about why she didn't want to go by Rachel, but it doesn't seem like a recent thing. In fact, her family has always called her Meghan, and that's what she's been called in all the photos and footage of her that has surfaced as a child over the years. She does go by Rachel in official capacities, though. The Queen has addressed her as Rachel, after all.
Prince Harry

Much like his wife, Prince Harry doesn't go by his legal first name, either. He uses a nickname for his full, more formal first name, Henry, and as far as we can tell, that's been the way it is for him since birth! And because he's royal, his full name is actually a pretty long one: Henry Charles Albert David. Yeah, that's a lot of middle names, but so goes the tradition in the royal family.
His Last Name Is Pretty Interchangeable

Though Harry technically doesn't need a last name for most purposes (who doesn't know who he is just by hearing his first name?), he does have some options. He can go by Harry Mountbatten-Windsor, which is the last name that Queen Elizabeth chose for his family. However, most recently, he's gone with a bit of a different choice. According to the Daily Mail, Harry's calling himself Prince Henry Charles Albert David Duke of Sussex.
That's a mouthful!
Prince Charles

Though Prince Charles' first name actually is Charles, his full name is a super long one — Charles Philip Arthur George — which includes both his father's name and his grandson's. But when he's king, that's when the change could come in. Per tradition, when he finally does step up to rule, he could choose to go by any of his middle names instead of Charles, if that's what he wishes … but he doesn't have to.
His Last Name

Much like his sons, Prince Charles has a few options when it comes to his last name. He can also use the royal family's last name that was chosen by Elizabeth, Mountbatten-Windsor, or he could use his house name as his last name, Wales — which Harry and William both chose to do in the past when they served in the British military. It all sounds confusing, but fortunately, Charles doesn't have much use for a last name in the first place.
Queen Victoria

This is taking it back to many, many years ago, but Queen Victoria was going by a different name long before Harry and Meghan were — or even Prince Charles. In fact, Victoria's given name at birth was Alexandrina Victoria, after her godfather, Tsar Alexander I. She changed it when she reigned from 1837 until she died in 1901 as Queen Victoria.
Why She Changed It

Though Victoria was known as Alexandrina for most of her life (Drina, as a nickname), she decided to change her name when it was her turn to step up as queen. As the story goes, her mother wanted her to go by Elizabeth, but Victoria wasn't having it and decided on her own name instead. It's a good thing she did, because we wouldn't have the Victorian Age without her.
King George VI

Going forward a bit in history, let's talk about Queen Elizabeth's father, King George VI. His first name wasn't actually George at all. His full name at birth was Albert Frederick Arthur George Saxe-Coburg-Gotha — though his loved ones called him Bertie. As he got older and took the throne, he started going by George, because it was the same name his father went by as king.
Changing Things Up

Much like Charles has the option to change his name when he becomes king, George was extended the same option. In that case, he wanted to represent his father and the legacy he left behind, because his brother, Edward — who ruled before George did — ended up abdicating his throne, and he wanted to show that there was still continuity in the family line.
The Last Name Switch

Cosmo also pointed out that there was a major shift in the royal family's last names as well. Although we know that Queen Elizabeth chose Mountbatten-Windsor before she reigned, the royal family's last name was Saxe-Coberg-Gotha, which not only involves a lot of hyphens, but it's also a major difference from what the family goes by today. So what's the deal with such a huge change?
Becoming Windsor

According to the royal family's website, George V changed the family's last name to Windsor because the original last name had German roots. The site says:
"In 1917, there was a radical change, when George V specifically adopted Windsor, not only as the name of the 'House' or dynasty, but also as the surname of his family. The family name was changed as a result of anti-German feeling during the First World War, and the name Windsor was adopted after the Castle of the same name."
So Many Royals Have Made Changes

From the present day going all the way back to the 1800s, going by a different name has become pretty common for members of the royal family. It's definitely going to be interesting to see what the next generation of royals — such as Charlotte, George, Louis, and Archie — will choose to do when they get older, especially when it's eventually George's turn to be king.