The Duke of Sussex was reportedly left frustrated after he was forced to wait six months for British passports for his children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet
Katy Hallam and Emma Mackenzie
16:53, 25 Jun 2025
Charles’ fallout with Harry is widely known(Image: Getty Images)
Prince Harry reportedly encountered issues when attempting to secure British passports for his two children, six year old Prince Archie and four year old Princess Lilibet, leaving Royal insiders puzzled.
The Duke of Sussex is said to have faced delays in obtaining the official documents for his offspring, partly due to his wish to include their Royal titles on the passports.
As per a report by The Guardian, Harry and his wife Meghan were informed that the passport issuance for their children was delayed due to technical glitches.
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Consequently, they re-applied via the 24-hour service available, only to have the necessary meeting cancelled.
It’s reported that the couple sent a legal letter threatening to request the data related to the issues, and the passports were finally issued just days later, a full six months after the process began.
Typically, a standard passport application takes about three weeks in the UK.
During this lengthy ordeal, Harry was allegedly so exasperated that he contemplated applying for the passports under his late mother, Princess Diana’s, family name of Spencer, reports the Mirror.
Archie already possessed a British passport under the name Mountbatten-Windsor, but the new document would have used the name Sussex, along with his Royal title of prince and the styling ‘HRH’.
This was a bone of contention, a source close to the Sussex family alleged, as “the King hadn’t wanted Archie and Lili to carry the titles, most of all the HRH, and the British passports, once created, would be the first and perhaps the only legal proof of their names.”
Buckingham Palace vehemently denied that the King or palace aides had any involvement in the delays in issuing their passports, according to The Telegraph.
It has also been reported that Harry is eager for the children to have the ‘Royal Highness’ styling so when they are older they can decide if they want to be working members of the Royal Family themselves – or stay out of the limelight.
However, this claim is said to have left insiders puzzled, with “bemusement in royal circles” about the idea.
Harry and Meghan dropped the HRH styling in 2020 when they stepped back as working royals as it was decided the couple would make a full break from the monarchy.
In a report marking Prince William’s 43rd birthday, the Sunday Times claimed: “Under the next reign, roles for Archie and Lili as working royals are unlikely.”