Reports have surfaced suggesting that Prince Harry has considered changing his last name to Spencer, the maiden name of his late mother, Princess Diana.
Allegedly, the Duke of Sussex consulted with his uncle, Charles Spencer, to explore the possibility of adopting the Spencer family surname.
If Harry were to proceed, this would mean his children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, would no longer use their current surname, Mountbatten-Windsor. Sources claim Harry had a discussion with his uncle during an unspecified trip to the UK and seriously looked into how such a change could be made.
However, The Mail on Sunday reports that he was told the legal complexities made the switch virtually impossible.
A source shared: “They had a friendly and respectful conversation, and Spencer advised Harry against going through with the name change.”
The outlet noted that such a decision would likely further strain Harry’s relationship with the Royal Family, especially with King Charles, who reportedly holds the family name in high regard.
A move to abandon “Mountbatten-Windsor” would be seen as deeply personal and potentially hurtful.
While the British monarch typically doesn’t use a surname, when required, it is Mountbatten-Windsor—a name created by combining the Royal House of Windsor with Prince Philip’s adopted surname, Mountbatten.
This surname is used by all descendants of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip when necessary.
Archie and Lilibet both carry this surname on their birth certificates: Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor and Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor.
Despite this, Meghan Markle has chosen to use the title-based surname “Sussex,” granted to her upon marrying Prince Harry in 2018.
In a moment from her Netflix series, she corrected a friend who referred to her by her maiden name, saying: “I’m Sussex now.”
In the second episode of With Love, Meghan, the Duchess, welcomed actress Mindy Kaling and shared her feelings on taking the Sussex surname.
Meghan said, “It’s funny you keep calling me Meghan Markle – I’m Sussex now. When you have kids, you realize how meaningful it is to share a name with them. It means a lot to say, ‘This is our family name.'”
The Duke of Sussex has not commented publicly on the matter.
