Prince Harry and Meghan Markle only considered changing their family’s surname after months of being stonewalled over passports for their children, according to a new report by The Guardian.
The couple were pushed to the brink after British officials repeatedly delayed issuing travel documents for Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet — delays that stretched nearly six months instead of the usual three weeks waiting time.
Sources close to the Sussexes claimed the holdup appeared deliberate, due to the use of their HRH titles and the Sussex surname on the applications.
Passports were eventually granted, but only after lawyers for Harry and Meghan threatened legal action. Solicitors reportedly sent a letter warning they’d file a data subject access request, which could have exposed British officials’ internal discussions around the delays.
At what insiders described as a point of “sheer exasperation,” Harry is said to have discussed adopting the Spencer surname (Diana’s maiden name) during a face-to-face conversation with his uncle Earl Spencer.
“Harry was at a point where British passports for his children… were being blocked with a string of excuses,” a source told the outlet.
The Earl was reportedly open to the idea, despite a separate report this week by The Daily Mail claiming he advised against it — a claim sources close to the Sussexes now call “completely untrue.”
A spokesperson for the Duke of Sussex declined to comment, saying, “We do not comment on private issues pertaining to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s children.”
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