Harry and Meghan wanted to change their last name to Spencer due to passport delays for children - Guardian
Kyiv • UNN
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle considered changing their last name to Spencer due to delays in obtaining British passports for their children. The documents were issued only after the intervention of lawyers.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle considered changing their surname to "Spencer" - in honor of the late Princess Diana - after months of delays in issuing British passports for their children Archie and Lilibet. This was reported by The Guardian, citing a source close to the Dukes of Sussex, reports UNN.
Details
The idea of changing the surname arose, according to the source, due to "despair and frustration" and was discussed during a personal meeting between Prince Harry and his uncle, Earl Spencer. The latter, according to the source, supported the initiative.
Such a step would probably further exacerbate Harry's already strained relationship with the British royal family. However, the issue became irrelevant - British passports for Archie and Lilibet were eventually issued almost six months after the applications were submitted.
This happened immediately after the couple's lawyers threatened an official request for access to personal data. Such a request could reveal the reasons for the delays and internal correspondence between responsible officials.
The source said that the Dukes feared that the delay in the procedure was related to the indication of the titles HRH (His / Her Royal Highness) in the passport applications. The documents also included the surname "Sussex" - which the family began to use after the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Archie previously had US and UK passports with the surname Mountbatten-Windsor.
There was an obvious reluctance to issue passports for children
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The normal waiting time for a British passport is three weeks. However, in the case of the Sussex children, it took more than three months due to "technical problems". The couple submitted a new application through an expedited 24-hour procedure, but their meeting was cancelled at the last minute due to a "system failure".
According to the source, King Charles was against Archie and Lilibet having the titles HRH, and the issued British passports would be the first official confirmation of their full names with titles.
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Harry reached the point where the issuance of passports with the updated Sussex surname had been blocked for five consecutive months, with various reasons being invented. In desperation, he turned to his uncle, saying: "My family should have one surname, but we are not allowed to do so simply because the children are legally HRH. If it comes to a conflict and we are denied the use of the Sussex surname, can we then take Spencer?
Prince Harry wants to keep the HRH titles for his children so that they can decide for themselves in the future whether they want to perform public duties for the royal family.
Let us remind you
The deprivation of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle of their titles of Duke and Duchess of Sussex was discussed at the highest level. Senior royal aides even joked that Harry was being held hostage by his American wife. This is according to the book "Our King: Charles III" by veteran correspondent Robert Jobson.