Prince Harry Wanted to Change His Last Name to Spencer
Prince Harry reportedly considered dropping the Mountbatten-Windsor surname in favor of his late mother’s maiden name, Spencer, in a move to distance himself from the royal establishment.
According to sources close to the Duke of Sussex, the idea was raised during a discreet visit to the UK, where he confided in his uncle, Charles Spencer, the 9th Earl Spencer.
Harry is said to have sought advice about legally adopting the Spencer name—a gesture that would have underscored his maternal connection and further marked his break from royal conventions.
However, his uncle reportedly advised against the move, citing the potential legal and logistical complications involved.
The proposal highlights ongoing tensions around royal identity and family ties, particularly in the wake of Harry and Meghan Markle’s departure from frontline royal duties in 2020.
Their children, Archie and Lilibet, currently bear the surname Mountbatten-Windsor, a hybrid of the House of Windsor and Prince Philip’s adopted surname.
Had Harry changed his surname, it’s likely his daughter would have been known as Lilibet Diana Spencer, a name rich with maternal lineage and symbolism.
This development comes amid increasing sensitivity around royal titles.
Meghan, now the Duchess of Sussex, emphasized in a recent appearance on Mindy Kaling’s Netflix show that her family’s identity is closely tied to their titles.
“I share my name with my children,” she said. “It means so much to say, ‘This is OUR family name.’”
The surname Mountbatten-Windsor was first used by descendants of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip following a compromise reached in 1960.
Though members of the Royal Family often go by titles instead of surnames, the compound name became the default for their direct descendants without royal styles or titles.
While changing a surname in the UK is legally straightforward—typically done via deed poll—such a change by a senior royal figure would carry heavy symbolic weight.
It would also create significant paperwork issues, particularly concerning official documents and the names of Harry’s children, who now hold the titles of Prince and Princess under King Charles III’s reign.
Archie and Lilibet, sixth and seventh in line to the throne respectively, were formally granted royal titles after King Charles’s accession.
Their original styling—Master and Miss Mountbatten-Windsor—reflected their non-working royal status prior to the transition.
Ultimately, Harry did not proceed with the name change, but the mere consideration of such a move underscores the depth of his detachment from royal life and his continued efforts to forge a separate identity rooted in his mother’s legacy.
Prince Harry Wanted to Change His Last Name to Spencer