Prince Harry drops royal title at Aspen polo match after insisting on keeping it post-UK exit

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Prince Harry dropped his royal title while competing in the star-studded St. Regis Snow Polo Championship in Aspen last week.

“Harry was introduced as Harry Wales, with no royal title mentioned ever or anywhere,” an insider exclusively told Page Six.

We hear the Duke of Sussex wanted to keep a low profile and enjoy the sport with his close friend, pro polo player Nacho Figueras.

Prince Harry didn’t use his royal title while participating in the St. Regis Snow Polo Championship in Aspen last week. BACKGRID
“Harry was introduced as Harry Wales, with no royal title mentioned ever or anywhere,” an insider exclusively told Page Six. ALEXJR / BACKGRID

“He was there to play polo with his best friend Nacho,” the source explained, adding, “No titles, just fun.”

We’re also told Harry didn’t want any media attention while participating in the competition.

“Off the field though, security wouldn’t let any photographers near him,” the insider noted

Other celebrities in attendance included Colman Domingo, Phoebe Dynevor, Goldie Hawn, Kurt Russell, Shaun White and Martha Hunt.

We’re told he was focused on spending time with his close friend, Nacho Figueras. The Daily Stardust/ LA Gossip TV / BACKGRID
“He was there to play polo with his best friend Nacho,” the source explained, adding, “No titles, just fun.” The Daily Stardust/ LA Gossip TV / BACKGRID

Harry’s rep did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment.

It’s unclear why Harry decided to use the “Wales” moniker, considering he and his wife, Meghan Markle, formally use Sussex as their last name.

Harry — born His Royal Highness Prince Henry of Wales — notably went by the name Harry Wales while serving in the British military, following a long-standing royal convention in which princes and princesses use their father’s territorial designation as a last name.

Our source said that the Duke of Sussex was avoiding any media attention. ALEXJR / BACKGRID
“Off the field though, security wouldn’t let any photographers near him,” the insider said. ALEXJR / BACKGRID

Prince William also used Wales as his last name during service and currently goes by Prince of Wales after their father, King Charles III, ascended to the throne.

However, the late Queen Elizabeth II granted Harry and Markle the Duke and Duchess of Sussex titles after they tied the knot in 2018.

Two years later, he and Markle resigned from their royal duties and subsequently dropped the HRH style from their titles.

Harry used the surname Wales while serving in the British military. AP
Harry and Markle were granted their Duke and Duchess of Sussex titles after tying the knot in 2018. Getty Images

However, they currently still refer to themselves as “Prince Harry and Meghan, Duke and Duchess of Sussex” on their official website.

The “With Love, Meghan” host, for her part, confirmed in the Netflix show that she uses the last name Sussex instead of Markle.

“You know I’m Sussex now,” she told guest Mindy Kaling at the time before explaining why it was “meaningful” to share a last name with her and Harry’s two kids: Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

“You have kids and you go, ‘No, I share my name with my children,’” she continued. “It just means so much to go, ‘This is our family name, our little family name.’”

They dropped the use of HRH in their titles after resigning from their royal duties in 2020. Getty Images
Their kids, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, also continue to use their royal titles. meghan/Instagram

The couple has been adamant about using their titles for themselves and their children — despite stepping back from their royal duties and moving to the United States in 2020.

In a 2023 “60 Minutes” interview, Anderson Cooper asked Harry why they hadn’t renounced their royal titles, to which he replied, “And what difference would that make?”

Meanwhile, a source claimed this past June that Harry considered taking his late mother Princess Diana’s maiden name, Spencer, amid his continuous rift with his royal family members.

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