Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on June 4, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 23, 2026
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Prince Harry considered changing his surname to Spencer due to passport delays, believing British officials blocked his children's applications.
LONDON (Reuters) -Britain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan explored the idea of changing their family name to Spencer amid months of delays in their two children receiving British passports, the Guardian newspaper reported on Wednesday.
Harry, the Duke of Sussex, believed that the passport delays were the result of British officials blocking the applications over the use of the Sussex surname and HRH titles (his or her royal highness) for his children, the newspaper said, citing an unnamed source.
A source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters that the prince had a meeting with his late mother Diana's brother, Charles Spencer, to discuss the family name.
The source also said other media reports which said Spencer had advised Harry against changing his surname and that the legal hurdles to doing so were insurmountable, were inaccurate.
Harry, the younger son of King Charles, stepped down from royal duties in 2020 and moved to California, where he lives with Meghan and their two children, Archie and Lilibet.
Since leaving, he and Meghan have been highly critical of the royals in TV documentaries, an explosive interview with U.S. chat show host Oprah Winfrey and most notably in Harry's best-selling biography "Spare." The prince is barely on speaking terms with either his father or his elder brother, heir to the throne Prince William.
In a BBC interview last month, Harry said he wanted reconciliation with the British royal family, but that his father King Charles will not speak to him over a separate row about his security.
(Reporting by Michael Holden and Sachin Ravikumar; editing by William James)
Prince Harry explored changing his surname to Spencer due to delays in his children's British passport applications, which he believed were caused by British officials blocking the Sussex surname.
Harry met with his late mother Diana's brother, Charles Spencer, to discuss the potential change of their family name.
Reports suggested that Charles Spencer advised Harry against changing his surname due to legal hurdles, but a source indicated that this was inaccurate.
Since stepping down from royal duties in 2020, Harry and Meghan have been critical of the royals in various media appearances, yet Harry expressed a desire for reconciliation with his family.
Harry mentioned that his father, King Charles, has not spoken to him over a separate disagreement concerning his security arrangements.
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