Prince Harry's bold royal move and nod to Princess Diana
Prince Harry reportedly explored dropping his royal surname in favour of Spencer, the maiden name of his late mother, Princess Diana, as tensions with the royal family continue to simmer.
According to sources who spoke with the Daily Mail, the 40-year-old royal 'actively explored ways to assume his mother's surname' and even raised the idea with his uncle, Charles Earl Spencer, during a recent trip to the UK.
'They had a very amicable conversation,' a friend of Harry's told the outlet.
'Spencer advised him against taking such a step,' citing the legal and logistical difficulties that would come with abandoning the Mountbatten-Windsor name.
Had he gone ahead, the move would have marked a significant break from the royal identity passed down through generations. Mandatory Credit: Photo by Shutterstock (138414a) Princess Diana Princess Diana at Chatsworth House, Derbyshire, Britain - 1987 Credit: Shutterstock / Shutterstock
The name Mountbatten-Windsor is a blend of Queen Elizabeth II's royal family name and Prince Philip's adopted surname, chosen when he became a naturalised British citizen and relinquished his Greek and Danish royal titles in 1947.
The name traces back to Philip's maternal uncle, Lord Louis Mountbatten, a major influence on both Philip and King Charles III.
Prince Harry, born Henry Charles Albert David, has rarely used a surname publicly, instead going by titles. During his school years and military service, he and his brother William used the surname Wales, based on their father's title, the then Prince of Wales. In uniform, Harry was known simply as 'Harry Wales'.
He became the Duke of Sussex in 2018, a title granted by Queen Elizabeth II upon his marriage to Meghan Markle, who then became the Duchess of Sussex.
Despite stepping back from royal duties in 2020, Meghan has publicly embraced 'Sussex' as the family name, saying she wanted to share a surname with her children.
In an episode of her Netflix show With Love, Meghan, she corrected guest Mindy Kaling: 'It's so funny you keep saying 'Meghan Markle', you know I'm Sussex now.'
'You have kids and you go, 'No, I share my name with my children',' she added.
'It just means so much to go, this is OUR family name. Our little family name'. A copy of the birth certificate of Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, son of Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex. Credit: AP
Controversy recently flared over claims Meghan has used the 'HRH' title privately, despite an agreement with Buckingham Palace to forgo the styling.
The dispute emerged after a friend received a gift basket accompanied by a card signed, 'HRH The Duchess of Sussex.'
Prince Harry remains publicly estranged from senior members of the royal family but has expressed a desire to reconcile.
In a May interview following the rejection of his legal appeal regarding UK security arrangements, he told the BBC, 'There have been so many disagreements between me and some of my family… Of course, they will never forgive me for lots of things but… there's no point in continuing to fight anymore.'
'Life is precious. I don't know how much longer my father has,' he added. 'He won't speak to me because of this security stuff. It would be nice to reconcile.'
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