5<\/p>\n The Duke of Sussex with his uncle Earl Spencer during the unveiling of a statue commissioned of his mother Diana, Princess of Wales, in 2021Credit: PA 5<\/p>\n Prince Harry and Meghan with Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, in St George\u2019s Hall at Windsor Castle shortly after he was bornCredit: AFP 5<\/p>\n Diana, Prince William and Prince Harry at Thorpe Park when the boys were growing upCredit: Getty<\/p>\n But the Duke of Sussex<\/a> was reportedly told the legal side of doing so would be too difficult.<\/p>\n A friend of Harry’s told the Mail<\/a>: “They had a very amicable conversation and Spencer advised him against taking such a step.”<\/p>\n Harry’s children go by Mountbatten-Windsor – which combines the Royal Family’s name of Windsor and the Duke of Edinburgh’s surname.<\/p>\n If the prince had gone ahead with the name swap, his daughter would have become Lilibet Diana Spencer.<\/p>\n It follows claims by royal author Tom Bower that: “Meghan decided her real object in life was to be Diana.”<\/p>\n Mountbatten-Windsor is the surname of descendants of the late Queen Elizabeth<\/a> and Prince Philip.<\/p>\n Philip adopted the Mountbatten name when he became a British subject and gave up his Greek and Danish royal title in 1947. <\/p>\n He and the late Queen and Philip <\/a>decided ten years later that they wanted their direct descendants to be known as Mountbatten-Windsor.<\/p>\n While you don’t need to go through a legal process to use a new name, it is recommended to use a deed poll to change documents such as passports and driving licences.<\/p>\n This is not the first time Harry and Meghan have been touchy on their names or titles.<\/p>\n The became the Sussexes when the late Queen gave them the titles when they married in 2018.<\/a><\/p>\n Harry previously had the title Prince Henry of Wales. But on his wedding day, he became The Duke of Sussex,\u00a0 a title which had been vacant since 1843.<\/p>\n When they married, Meghan adopted the female equivalent of Harry’s name, so became Duchess of Sussex.<\/p>\n And Meghan was seen to firmly correct Mindy Kaling after her friend called her Markle<\/a> on her Netflix show.<\/p>\n In an episode on With Love, Meghan<\/a>, the Duchess said: “It’s so funny you keep saying ‘Meghan Markle’ \u2013 you know I’m Sussex now.<\/p>\n “You have kids and you go, ‘No, I share my name with my children’.\u00a0<\/p>\n “I didn’t know how meaningful it would be to me but\u00a0it just means so much to go ‘This is OUR family name. Our little family name.’ “<\/p>\n Questions were raised when Harry and Meghan called their daughter a princess for the first time in 2023<\/a>, when her christening was announced.<\/p>\n The children were then officially named as prince and princess on the Royal Family’s official website.<\/p>\n Archie and Lilibet are sixth and seventh in line to the throne.<\/p>\n Before their titles were listed as prince and princess on the royal website, they were down as Master Archie Mountbatten-Windsor and Miss Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor.<\/p>\n They gained the titles when King Charles become the King, as they are grandchildren of the monarch.<\/p>\n Meghan also recently raised eyebrows after it was revealed she is still using her HRH title<\/a> – despite promising the late Queen she wouldn\u2019t after leaving royal duties.<\/p>\n Although she used it around her friends instead of for “commercial purposes\u201d, a royal expert criticised her for using the title for her advantage.<\/p>\n In a podcast interview with pal Jamie Kern Lima, a photo showed a gift basket of ice cream and strawberry sauce Meghan sent her a year ago.<\/p>\n With it came a note on monogrammed paper, signed: “With the compliments of HRH the Duchess of Sussex.”<\/p>\n However, during the chat, Meghan opened up on a number of personal topics, including describing royal life as being \u201cin the trenches.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Prince](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/uncle-earl-spencer-unveiling-statue-663114139.jpg\")
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