Prince Harry approached Princess Diana’s family to change last name to Spencer: reports

Prince Harry is reportedly considering a major change in his personal life.

Per reports from the UK, the Duke of Sussex approached a member of his late mother’s family about potentially changing his last name.

According to The Telegraph, the Duke of Sussex spoke to his uncle, Princess Diana’s brother Charles Spencer, on a trip to the UK about taking on the Spencer surname.

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A change would mean dropping Mountbatten-Windsor, which his two children Archie and Lilibet whom he shares with wife Meghan use.

A friend of Harry’s reportedly told the Daily Mail the Duke and his uncle ”had a very amicable conversation and Spencer advised him against taking such a step”.

According to the outlet, his uncle advised against the change due to the legal hurdles. 

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The Mountbatten-Windsor name has a decades-long history with The Royal Family.

The name began with his grandparents, the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. 

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In 1960, it was declared in the Privy Council that the pair’s descendants would take on the surname Mountbatten-Windsor, with the Mountbatten portion from Philip’s name.

“The effect of the declaration was that all The Queen’s children, on occasions when they needed a surname, would have the surname Mountbatten-Windsor,” the Royal Family’s website reads.

“For the most part, members of the royal family who are entitled to the style and dignity of HRH Prince or Princess do not need a surname, but if at any time any of them do need a surname (such as upon marriage), that surname is Mountbatten-Windsor.”

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Harry’s life was shaped by comment made minutes after birth

Harry’s children use the full names Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor and Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor. 

In 2020, it was revealed the Duke of Sussex was no longer using his royal surname following his exit from the Royal Family.

His official name listed on documents was “Prince Henry Charles Albert David, Duke of Sussex”, not using His Royal Highness title, nor the Mountbatten-Windsor name.

In her Netflix series With Love, Meghan, his wife Meghan corrected comedian Mindy Kaling, who called her by the last name “Markle”.

“It’s so funny you keep saying Meghan Markle, you know, I’m Sussex now,” she said. 

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