Why Royal Courtiers Allegedly Gave Prince Harry and Prince Andrew Unexpected 'Dukes of Hazzard' Nicknames

A royal expert claimed the nicknames—inspired by the famous TV show—relate to King Charles.

Prince Andrew and Prince Harry wear top hats while arriving at Royal Ascot
(Image credit: Chris Jackson/Getty Images for Ascot Racecourse)

A plethora of Royal Family members have been given apt and unusual nicknames over the years.

Princess Kate, for instance, was allegedly dubbed "beautiful Kate" while attending the University of St Andrews. Meanwhile, Prince William reportedly calls his wife "babykins" and "Duchess of Doolittle." While Prince George's very first school nickname is said to be "PG," Meghan Markle and Prince Harry were reportedly given surprising alter egos by their staff members. And according to a new report, Prince Harry and Prince Andrew received some unforgettable nicknames from royal courtiers.

During an appearance on Times Radio's "The Royals With Roya and Kate," royal correspondent Kate Mansey said (via the Express), "I did a kind of wrap up in The Times Magazine at the end of last year in which a couple of people actually mentioned [Andrew] and Harry to me as being known as the Dukes of Hazzard."

Mansey claimed that courtiers had allegedly given Andrew and Harry this nickname on account of them being "problems for The King, but perhaps Andrew more so."

Prince Andrew rides in a carriage while wearing a top hat and a suit

Prince Andrew reportedly acquired an unexpected nickname from royal courtiers.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Prince Andrew faced a slew of scandals throughout 2024. The Duke of York fought to keep his home, Royal Lodge in Windsor, after it was suggested he downsized and moved into an alternative royal property. Eventually, Prince Andrew sourced the finances required to stay at Royal Lodge, with rumors suggesting that King Charles had actually taken pity on his brother and given him the money.

By the end of the year, Prince Andrew's friends were claiming the royal was "sick and tired" of life under constant scrutiny in the U.K., and that he might move to the Middle East. 2025 doesn't seem to be much better for the Duke of York, who was reported to the police for using an alleged fake name in a business filing.

Prince Andrew wearing a dark suit and yellow tie standing in front of a tan concrete wall

Prince Andrew faced a slew of scandals throughout 2024.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

On Jan. 6, Graham Smith, the CEO of Republic, revealed he'd reported Prince Andrew to London's Met Police, telling The Telegraph, "The royals appear to believe they can act with impunity, an impression given weight by the lack of police action on serious allegations of corruption and sexual offenses." Smith alleged that Prince Andrew had used the name "Andrew Inverness" on several business filings. He continued, "The apparent filing of false information with Companies House may seem trivial, but the U.K. faces serious issues of fraud committed in this way."

Amy Mackelden
Contributing Editor

Amy Mackelden is a contributing editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.