6 days ago
Prince Harry Nearly Adopted Princess Diana's Maiden Name, Severing Royal Ties
Prince Harry Nearly Adopted Princess Diana's Maiden Name, Severing Royal Ties originally appeared on Parade.
A new report claims nearly adopted Princess Diana's maiden name after reportedly discussing the matter with her brother, Charles Spencer. In doing so, Harry would have severed his ties to the House of Windsor for good.
Per The Mirror's Richard Eden, sources revealed the Duke of Sussex entertained the idea of adopting Princess Diana's maiden name, Spencer, after discussing the matter with her brother, the 9th Earl Spencer, during a visit to the United Kingdom.
Reasonably, if Harry did change his name, the switch would mark a definitive split between Harry and his royal kin. Additionally, the surname of Harry's children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, Mountbatten-Windsor, would also be affected.
Eden states, "It is understood he discussed the issue with Earl Spencer, whose family seat is Althorp in Northamptonshire, during a rare visit to Britain, but was told that the legal hurdles were insurmountable. They had a very amicable conversation and Spencer advised him against taking such a step, said a friend of Harry."
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He adds, "Nevertheless, the fact that he consulted the Earl over the issue, a proposal that would dismay his brother and father, is a vivid expression of the toxic rift with his family. Mountbatten-Windsor is the surname available to descendants of the late Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. It combines the Royal Family's name of Windsor and the Duke of Edinburgh's adopted surname."
Even if Harry found a way to legally take on his mother's maiden name, he would not be entitled to inherit his mother's ancestral property, Althorp House. Princess Diana's family home will be passed down to her nephew, Louis Spencer, Viscount Althorp. As the only son of Charles Spencer, Louis is set to inherit the estate and earldom under the traditional practice of male primogeniture, which is an age-old system that favors male heirs, bypassing his three older sisters.
Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, use Sussex as their last name. Harry was known as "Harry Wales" when then-Prince Charles and Princess Diana held the royal title of Prince and Princess of Wales.
Subsequently, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were granted the titles Duke and Duchess of Sussex by Queen Elizabeth on their 2018 wedding day. The couple's children were titled prince and princess after King Charles's accession.
Per the BBC, upon stepping back from their duties as senior royals, the couple were allowed to keep their Duke and Duchess of Sussex titles. However, they are no longer addressed as His or Her Royal Highness (HRH). Additionally, Harry had to give up all of his military titles after a decade-long career in the armed forces.
Prince Harry Nearly Adopted Princess Diana's Maiden Name, Severing Royal Ties first appeared on Parade on Jun 2, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 2, 2025, where it first appeared.
