Prince Harry Reportedly Explored a Major Personal Change That Would Rock the Royal Family
The royal family feud doesn't look like it will have a resolution any time soon, if ever. So, Prince Harry may have quietly looked into distancing himself even more from King Charles III in the wake of the rift.
It's no secret that Princess Diana's family has shown up for Harry when he's needed them the most. The Spencers, including uncle Charles Spencer and aunt Jane Fellowes, supported the Duke of Sussex when the Invictus Games held a celebration at St. Paul's Cathedral in May 2024. That pivotal moment might be even more impactful than royal fans realized because Harry is using the Spencer family as his sounding board.
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The Daily Mail is reporting that Harry allegedly consulted his uncle about using the Spencer surname for his family. While Harry and wife Meghan Markle's family name is Sussex, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet have Mountbatten-Windsor on their birth certificates to reflect their royal birthright.
While Diana's brother was reportedly open to the conversation, the surname change would just be downright messy. 'They had a very amicable conversation and Spencer advised him against taking such a step,' an insider told the media outlet. It shows how close Harry is to Spencer — his uncle is his mentor, not his father.
Harry's decision to lean on his late mother's family only adds more pressure to the long-running feud that exists between the Spencers and the Windsors. Former BBC royal correspondent Michael Cole told the Daily Mail in May 2024 that Diana's father, Johnnie Spencer didn't want his daughter to marry Prince Charles because he wasn't a fan of the royal family.
'Johnnie saw the Royal Family up close and personal. He was not in the least starry-eyed about the Windsors – now Mountbatten-Windsors – and wanted to safeguard his youngest daughter from the incessant public scrutiny that would be her fate as Princess of Wales,' Cole claimed.
Now, Diana's youngest son is having similar issues with the royal family and that's likely why Prince Harry wants to honor her legacy.
'I certainly hope and believe everything I do makes her proud,' he told People in 2022. 'In the 12 short years, I was lucky enough to have with her, I saw and felt the energy and lift she got from helping others, no matter their background, ailment or status. Her life and theirs was better for it, however short theirs or hers was.'
That's why it would be no surprise if he decided to change his family's surname to reflect his late mother's values. He added, 'I honor my mother in everything I do. I am my mother's son.'
Before you go, click to see more of Meghan Markle & Prince Harry's milestones since leaving the royal family.
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