Which European royal has the longest name?

Try fitting Ferdinand Zvonimir Maria Balthus Keith Michael Otto Antal Bahnam Leonhard von Habsburg-Lothringen onto a form
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Megan C. Hills18 March 2020

Feel like a tongue twister? Now you've finished rehashing supercalifragilisticexpialidocious with the recent Mary Poppins reboot, we've found you a new lexical workout.

The European royal families are a full bounty on long and complex names, with some running to 19 names long (shout out to Infanta Margarita, the real MVP).

The British Royal Family for the most part keeps things (relatively) short and sweet, with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's son has four names: Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor. That said, Princess Michael of Kent's full name is Marie-Christine Agnes Hedwig Ida von Reibnitz.

Archie with his mother Meghan
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It's still a drop in the bucket compared to the Spanish royals who dominate this list, as well as the hereditary German and Austrian royals who no longer serve in an official capacity.

On the flip side, the Norweigans like to keep things simple: Queen Sonja for instance simply goes as Sonja Haraldsen.

Here's a round-up of the longest in all their glory:

Margarita María de la Victoria Esperanza Jacoba Felicidad Perpetua y Todos los Santos de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias

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Mostly known as: Infanta Margarita, Duchess of Soria, Duchess of Hernani​

Where is she from? The Spanish royal family

Who is she? Infanta Margarita is former king Juan Carlos' sister and aunt to the current king, King Felipe VI.

María del Pilar Alfonsa Juana Victoria Luisa Ignacia y Todos los Santos de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias

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Mostly known as: Infanta Pilar, Duchess of Badajoz

Nickname: Pilar de Borbón

Where is she from? The Spanish royal family

Who is she? Infanta Pilar is Infanta Margarita's older sister, as well as sibling to former king Juan Carlos. She is also aunt to the current Spanish reigning monarch, King Felipe VI.

Ferdinand Zvonimir Maria Balthus Keith Michael Otto Antal Bahnam Leonhard von Habsburg-Lothringen

Mostly known as: Ferdinand Zvonimir von Habsburg, Hereditary Archduke of Austria

Nickname: Ferdinand Habsburg

Where is he from? The Austrian hereditary royal family

Who is he? Given that the Austrian royal family has been retired, Ferdinand spends less time at state occasions and more time behind the wheel of a car. He's actually a professional race car driver, who most recently competed in the last year's Macau leg of F3.

Cristina Federica Victoria Antonia de la Santísima Trinidad de Borbón y de Grecia

Alberto Estevez/EPA/REX/Shutterstock

Mostly known as: Infanta Cristina, Princess Cristina de Borbón

Where is she from? The Spanish royal family

Who is she? Cristina is sister to King Felipe VI, as well as the daughter of former king Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia. She is sixth in line to the throne and was recently at the centre of a controversial trial, which centred around charges of embezzlement, fraud and tax evasion. According to The Guardian, she was "cleared of helping her husband evade taxes", though her husband Iñaki Urdangarin was sentenced to six years and three months in prison in 2017.

Ernst August Albert Paul Otto Rupprecht Oskar Berthold Friedrich-Ferdinand Christian-Ludwig

Mostly known as: Hereditary Prince Ernst August of Hanover

People Picture/Willi Schneider/REX/Shutterstock

Where is he from? The German hereditary royal family

Who is he? Prince Ernst August of Hanover is the head of the hereditary German family, who have close links to the British royal family (Queen Victoria for example was descended from their family line). The current reigning British monarch, Queen Elizabeth, is actually his distant cousin. His second wife was royalty as well, as she was Princess Caroline of Monaco - a.k.a. Grace Kelly's daughter - and they had one child Princess Alexandra. Sadly, the pair are now estranged. Prince Ernst August has two sons from his first marriage to Chantal Hochuli: Prince Ernst August Jr and Prince Heinrich who you'll bump into further down the list.

Felipe Juan Pablo Alfonso de Todos los Santos de Borbón y Grecia

Mostly known as: King Felipe VI

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Where is he from? The Spanish royal family

Who is he? King Felipe VI is Spain's very photogenic current king and the son of former King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia. In recent years, he's been seen visiting the likes of Queen Elizabeth along with his wife Queen Letizia. The couple have two daughters: Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofia.

Juan Carlos Alfonso Víctor María de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias

Mostly known as: King Juan Carlos I

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Where is he from? The Spanish royal family

Who is he? King Juan Carlos I is the former king of Spain and father to King Felipe VI, who currently sits at the head of the household. He abdicated in 2014, handing over his crown, and is married to Queen Sofia; the former Princess of Greece. According to the Daily Mail however, he and Queen Sofia have lived "separate lives" for much of their marriage.

Christian Heinrich Clemens Paul Frank Peter Welf Wilhelm-Ernst Friedrich Franz

Mostly known as: Hereditary Prince Christian of Hanover

Leonardo Fernandez / Stringer

Where is he from? The German hereditary royal family

Who is he? Prince Christian is the hereditary prince of Hanover and the younger son of Prince Ernst August. He recently had his own lavish royal wedding in 2017 in Peru, during which he tied the knot with fashion designer Alessandra de Osma. De Osma wore the family's famed Hanover Floral Tiara, which was previously worn by Princess Caroline of Monaco and his older brother's wife Ekaterina Malyshev, for the big day. As part of the Hanover line, he also has strong ties to the British royal family and in fact Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice nipped down for their nuptials.

Jean Benoît Guillaume Robert Antoine Louis Marie Adolphe Marc d’Aviano

Mostly known as: Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg

Pascal Le Segretain / Staff

Where is he from? The Luxembourg royal family

Who is he? Grand Duke Jean is the former Grand Duke of Luxembourg, who handed over the head of house to his son Grand Duke Henri in 2000. Grand Duke Henri continues to preside over it. He married Princess Josephine-Charlotte, the daughter of the King of Belgium, with whom he had five children: Princess Marie-Astrid, Prince Henri, Prince Jean, Princess Margaretha and Prince Guillaume. Sadly, Princess Josephine-Charlotte passed away in 2005.

Elena Maria Isabel Dominica de Silos de Borbon y Grecia

Mostly known as: Infanta Elena, Duchess of Lugo

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Where is she from? The Spanish royal family

Who is she? Elena is King Felipe VI's older sister, as well as the eldest child of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia. She is third in the line of succession to the Spanish throne, after her nieces Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofia.

Lorenz Otto Carl Amadeus Thadeus Maria Pius Andreas Marcus d’Aviano

Mostly known as: Prince Lorenz of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este

Mark Renders / Stringer

Where is he from? The Belgian royal family

Who is he? Prince Lorenz is currently married to Princess Astrid of Belgium, the daughter of King Albert II and Queen Paola of Belgium. They currently have five children together: Prince Amadeo, Princess Maria Laura, Prince Joachim, Princess Luisa Maria and Princess Laetitia Maria.

Hans Adam Ferdinand Alois Josef Maria Marko d’Aviano Pius

Mostly known as: HSH Prince Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein

AFP / Stringer

Where is he from? The Liechtenstein royal family

Who is he? Prince Hans-Adam II is the current reigning prince of Liechtenstein. He is married to Countess Marie Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau, with whom he has four children: Prince Alois, Prince Maximilian, Prince Constantin and Princess Tatjana.

Sofía de Todos los Santos de Borbón Ortiz

Mostly known as: Infanta Sofia

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Where is she from? The Spanish royal family

Who is she? Infanta Sofia is the youngest daughter of King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, placing her on the line of succession to the throne after her oldest sister Princess Leonor. She is named after her grandmother, Queen Sofia.

Leonor de Todos los Santos de Borbón Ortiz

Mostly known as: Princess Leonor of Asturias

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Where is she from? The Spanish royal family

Who is she? Princess Leonor is King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia's eldest daughter. She is heir to the Spanish throne.

Heinrich Julius Christian Otto Friedrich Franz Anton Günter

Mostly known as: Hereditary Prince Heinrich of Hanover

Rainer Droese/SIPA/REX/Shutterstock

Where is he from? The German hereditary royal family

Who is he? Prince Heinrich is the younger brother of Prince Ernst August, the current head of the Hanover family. He is the youngest child of (yet another) Prince Ernst August and his wife Princess Ortrud of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, who had five children including his brother Prince Ernst August, Princess Marie, Prince Ludwig Rudolph, Princess Olga and Princess Alexandra. He prefers to keep away from the limelight and leads a relatively ordinary life as the head of a publishing company.

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