Prince Harry is said to have sought advice from Princess Diana’s brother about changing his family name to Spencer.
The Duke of Sussex, 40, is claimed to have actively explored ways to assume his mother’s surname, which would have involved losing Mountbatten-Windsor, used by his children.
He is alleged to have discussed the issue with Earl Spencer, whose family seat is Althorp in Northamptonshire, during a rare visit to Britain.
However, sources told The Mail on Sunday that he was informed the legal hurdles to change his surname would be insurmountable.
Spencer is said to have discussed the possibility of changing Harry’s surname
ALAMY
A friend of Harry said: “They had a very amicable conversation and Spencer advised him against taking such a step.”
Mountbatten-Windsor is available to descendants of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, which combines the royal Windsor name with the Duke of Edinburgh’s adopted surname.
On their birth certificates, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s children are Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor and Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor.
Any change of name could further alienate Harry from his father, the King, who cherishes the Mountbatten name like his own father.
The duke was advised against attempting to make the change to Spencer
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The 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, a mentor to Prince Philip, was a strong influence on his great-nephew Charles.
Philip adopted the Mountbatten name when he became a naturalised British subject and renounced his Greek and Danish royal title in 1947. The Queen and Philip decided in 1960 that they would like their own direct descendants to be known as Mountbatten-Windsor.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were given their Sussex titles by Queen Elizabeth on their wedding day in 2018.
Meghan recently claimed her surname was Sussex, correcting a guest on her Netflix cookery and lifestyle programme. During an episode of With Love, Meghan, released in March, the 43-year-old former actress was joined by the comic Mindy Kaling.
Meghan told her: “It’s so funny you keep saying ‘Meghan Markle’ — you know I’m Sussex now. I didn’t know how meaningful it would be to me but it just means so much to go ‘This is OUR family name. Our little family name’.”
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The Sussexes used the title princess for their daughter, Lilibet, for the first time after her christening in California was announced in 2023.
A spokesman for the couple said: “The children’s titles have been a birthright since their grandfather became monarch. This matter has been settled for some time in alignment with Buckingham Palace.”
Archie, now aged six, and Lilibet, who turns four on Wednesday, were named as the Prince and Princess of Sussex on the line of succession page of the official royal family website. They are sixth and seventh in line to the throne. Previously they were listed as Master Archie Mountbatten-Windsor and Miss Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor.