Prince Harry reportedly considered changing his surname to Spencer after his fallout with the royal family. According to a friend of the Duke of Sussex, Harry sought advice from his late mother’s brother, Earl Spencer, during a rare visit to the UK. The 40-year-old Duke allegedly asked his uncle, Earl Charles Spencer, about the possibility of taking the Spencer surname, but was advised against it due to potential legal obstacles.
The source revealed that their conversation was amicable, with Earl Spencer cautioning Harry about the complications such a move could cause. At the time, Harry had been contemplating swapping the Mountbatten-Windsor surname—used by his children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet—for his mother’s maiden name, Spencer.
Harry’s children, born as Master Archie Mountbatten-Windsor and Miss Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor, saw their titles updated after Queen Elizabeth II’s passing and King Charles III’s ascension in 2022. By 2024, it was confirmed that the children’s surname had been officially changed to Sussex.
Meghan Markle, Harry’s wife, also confirmed in a March episode of her Netflix show With Love, Meghan that she and Harry now use Sussex as their last name. While speaking to actress Mindy Kaling, Markle pointed out that she preferred to be referred to as “Meghan Sussex,” explaining how important it was for her to share a family name with her children.
Since stepping back from their royal duties in 2020 and relocating to California, Harry and Meghan have experienced ongoing tensions with the royal family. The strained relationships have been further exacerbated by Harry’s 2023 memoir Spare, where he detailed personal family conflicts. His relationship with his father, King Charles III, and brother, Prince William, remains strained despite Harry’s attempts at reconciliation.
Diana, Harry’s late mother, divorced Charles in 1996, just one year before her tragic death in a car accident at age 36.
