Prince Harry once reportedly thought about adopting his late mother Princess Diana\u2019s maiden name, Spencer, as his surname.
\nHowever, he was advised against the idea by his maternal uncle, Charles Spencer.<\/p>\n
As reported by The Mail on Sunday, the Duke of Sussex, 40, had considered replacing the Mountbatten-Windsor surname \u2014 the one currently used by his children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet \u2014 with his mother\u2019s family name.<\/p>\n
During a rare trip to the UK, Harry discussed the matter with Diana\u2019s brother, the 9th Earl Spencer. While the conversation was said to be friendly, Earl Spencer advised Harry not to proceed due to the potential legal complications.<\/p>\n
A source told the outlet, \u201cThey had a very amicable conversation and Spencer advised him against taking such a step.\u201d<\/p>\n
Neither Harry\u2019s nor Earl Spencer\u2019s representatives commented publicly on the matter.<\/p>\n
Archie, 6, and Lilibet, who just turned 4 on June 4, are officially listed as Mountbatten-Windsor on their birth records.<\/p>\n
However, the family now generally uses \u201cSussex\u201d as their informal surname \u2014 continuing a royal practice. For example, Harry was known as \u201cHarry Wales\u201d during his youth, a nod to his father\u2019s title, Prince of Wales.<\/p>\n
In an earlier interview with PEOPLE, Meghan spoke about the emotional significance of sharing the Sussex name with her family.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s our shared name as a family, and I guess I hadn\u2019t recognized how meaningful that would be to me until we had children,\u201d she said. \u201cI love that Archie, Lili, H, and I all share that. It means a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n
The topic of surnames resurfaced in March during Meghan\u2019s Netflix series, With Love, Meghan, when she gently corrected friend Mindy Kaling for referring to her as \u201cMarkle\u201d instead of \u201cSussex.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mountbatten-Windsor is the official surname used for descendants of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. The name combines \u201cWindsor,\u201d adopted in 1917 by King George V, with \u201cMountbatten,\u201d which Prince Philip chose when he became a British citizen in 1947.<\/p>\n
In 1960, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip agreed that this would be the surname for their direct descendants who don\u2019t hold royal titles.<\/p>\n
Choosing to abandon this name could have been perceived as a slight toward King Charles III, who reportedly values the Mountbatten name, just as his father did. Tensions between Harry and King Charles have remained strained since Harry and Meghan stepped back from their royal duties in 2020.<\/p>\n
One ongoing point of contention is the loss of taxpayer-funded security for the Sussex family.
\nIn a past interview with the BBC, Harry emphasized his concerns, saying he \u201ccan\u2019t see a world\u201d where he would feel safe bringing his children to the UK without adequate protection.<\/p>\n
Though royal family members rarely use surnames in everyday life, their children often adopt a version of their parents\u2019 titles for school or military purposes. For instance, both Harry and his brother William used \u201cWales\u201d as their last name while growing up.<\/p>\n
After King Charles ascended the throne in September 2022, Archie and Lilibet automatically became prince and princess under longstanding royal rules.<\/p>\n
Their titles were updated on the royal family\u2019s website to reflect \u201cPrince Archie of Sussex\u201d and \u201cPrincess Lilibet of Sussex.\u201d<\/p>\n
The titles \u201cDuke and Duchess of Sussex\u201d were originally granted to Harry and Meghan by Queen Elizabeth in May 2018, on the day of their wedding.<\/p>\n
In keeping with royal tradition, last year, PEOPLE confirmed that the couple had officially chosen \u201cSussex\u201d as the surname for their children.<\/p>\n
Prince Harry once reportedly thought about adopting his late mother Princess Diana\u2019s maiden name, Spencer, as his surname. However, he was advised against the idea by his maternal uncle, Charles Spencer. As reported by The Mail on Sunday, the Duke of Sussex, 40, had considered replacing the Mountbatten-Windsor surname \u2014 the one currently used by…<\/p>\n