Prince Harry | Samir Hussein/Samir Hussein/WireImage
What languages does Prince Harry wish he could speak (hint: It’s not French)? Find out, ahead.
What languages does Prince Harry speak?
Unlike his brother and father — who are each fluent in around five foreign languages — Prince Harry has only mastered English. But, that doesn’t mean that the Duke of Sussex doesn’t try to connect with others through their native languages.
While in New Zealand last fall, Prince Harry delivered a speech in six different languages (with the help of some notes, of course). During the speech, the Duke of Sussex spoke Samoan, Tongan, Fijian, Niuean, Cook Islands Maori, and Maori. “This is definitely the first time I’ve spoken most of those languages, so I apologize if my accent wasn’t any good,” he noted afterward. In addition to these languages, the Duke of Sussex has delivered a speech in Arabic before. However, he is not fluent in the language.
During his royal tour of New Zealand, Prince Harry sat in on a German class and revealed the one foreign language he knows — or, knew. “I learned French at school, but I’ve forgotten most of it,” he noted while visiting the class. He also revealed the two languages he wishes he could speak.
What languages does Prince Harry wish he could speak?
Prince Harry’s grandfather, Prince Philip is an impressive linguist with fluency in three languages: English, French, and German. And, although Prince Harry learned French in school, he wishes he took after his grandfather and learned German, too. “I wish I could speak German,” he commented while visiting the German class in New Zealand.
German isn’t the only foreign language Prince William wishes he could speak. He also wanted to learn Spanish but, according to his remarks, his teacher advised against it. Luckily, if he ever needs a translator, his wife is comfortable speaking the language.
According to the royal family’s website, Meghan Markle is multilingual with knowledge of both French and Spanish. However, her fluency is unknown. According to her online biography, the Duchess of Sussex learned Spanish while interning at the US Embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina during her college years.
She also studied French for six years in school and lived in Canada, which is a bilingual country, prior to moving to the United Kingdom. However, the French spoke in Canada is different than that of France.
Like her husband, Meghan Markle also knows some words and phrases in foreign languages. While visiting Edinburgh, the Duchess of Sussex spoke a little Tagalog, the language of the Philipines. The duchess allegedly said “Salamat Po,” which means “thank you” in the language.