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Harry wants to change his surname to Spencer: legal obstacles and tensions with the crown
The Duke of Sussex has reportedly sought advice from his maternal uncle Charles Spencer: the symbolic and divisive gesture risks accentuating the rift with the royal family
Prince Harry is reportedly considering changing his surname from Mountbatten-Windsor to Spencer, thus adopting the name of his late mother, Princess Diana. This was reported by the Mail on Sunday, according to which the Duke of Sussex discussed the matter with his uncle Charles Spencer during a private visit to the United Kingdom, the date of which has not been disclosed.
According to the British tabloid, Harry asked Diana’s brother for advice on how to legally make the change, but Spencer dissuaded him: “The legal obstacles are insurmountable”, was the opinion expressed in a meeting that was nevertheless described as cordial.
The idea of a change of surname would also have implications for the prince’s children, Archie and Lilibet, who currently bear the full name Mountbatten-Windsor, like all descendants of the late Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. The double surname, in use since 1960, combines that of the Windsor family and the Duke of Edinburgh’s adopted name, Mountbatten.
The gesture, if carried out, would not only be symbolic but also highly divisive. According to sources close to Buckingham Palace, any abandonment of the Mountbatten-Windsor surname would be seen as an affront by King Charles, who is deeply attached to his family name.
At the same time, Harry’s wife, Meghan Markle, recently publicly claimed the title of Duchess of Sussex, correcting one of her guests during an episode of the Netflix series With Love, Meghan: “It’s so funny that you keep saying Meghan Markle. Now you know I’m ‘Sussex”’, she pointed out.
Harry’s desire to distance himself from the crown, even nominally, reflects an increasingly marked and public detachment, which began with his departure from royal duties and was exacerbated by interviews, memoirs and television productions that deepened the family rift. The choice of a surname linked exclusively to his mother appears to be a gesture of personal identity but also of distance from dynastic constraints.
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