Just In: Harry revelation will leave King Charles heartbroken as any hope of reconciliation now in tatters
Just In: Harry revelation will leave King Charles heartbroken as any hope of reconciliation now in tatters
Prince Harry’s recent revelation will leave King Charles heartbroken, as any hope of reconciliation now appears to be in tatters.
The Duke of Sussex is understood to have spoken to his maternal uncle, Earl Charles Spencer, about adopting Spencer – the maiden name of his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales – during a recent trip to the UK.
Prince Harry, 40, and Meghan Markle, 43, legally use the surname Mountbatten-Windsor, although the Duchess of Sussex has publicly requested to be called “Meghan Sussex”.
The couple’s children, Prince Archie, six, and Princess Lilibet, who turns four this week, also have Mountbatten-Windsor printed on their birth certificates.
It is understood that the Earl Spencer, 61, warned his nephew against the surname change due to legal hurdles.
A friend of the Duke told the Mail on Sunday: “They had a very amicable conversation and Spencer advised him against taking such a step.
The revelation that Prince Harry wanted to drop Mountbatten-Windsor in favour of Spencer will likely leave his estranged father, King Charles, heartbroken.
The Sussexes have been embroiled in a public rift with the Royal Family across several years, with Prince Harry recently telling the BBC that the King “won’t speak to me because of this security stuff.
He also claimed he did “not know how much longer my father has” following the King’s cancer diagnosis, a comment which led to widespread criticism toward the Duke.
The surname Mountbatten-Windsor was adopted as the Royal Family’s surname in 1960 – a combination of Queen Elizabeth II’s and Prince Philip’s names.
The late Princess Diana went by “Lady Diana Spencer” before her marriage to the then-Prince of Wales in 1981. Harry’s wish to replace Mountbatten-Windsor with Spencer for his wife and children will undoubtedly be viewed as a decisive break in his relationship with the Royal Family.
Despite this, the Duke previously told the BBC in that same interview: “There have been so many disagreements between myself and some of my family,” adding that he had now “forgiven” them.
He explained: “I would love reconciliation with my family. There’s no point continuing to fight any more, life is precious.”
It is difficult to understand how the latest revelation about Harry wanting to switch surnames will help bring forward a royal reconciliation.
Prince Harry was famously close to his paternal grandparents, the late Queen and the late Duke of Edinburgh, whose legacy is honoured in the Mountbatten-Windsor surname.
However, what is clear is Prince Harry’s unconditional love for the late Diana, Princess of Wales, who tragically died in a car crash in 1997.
He Duke of Sussex previously said his current life in the US is what his mother, Princess Diana, would have “wanted” for him.
Prince Harry’s desire to distance himself from the Mountbatten-Windsor name and embrace his mother’s maiden name speaks volumes about where his loyalties lie.
While it’s clear his affection for Diana remains undiminished, this latest move will likely deepen the chasm between him and his royal relatives.
With each new revelation, the prospect of reconciliation between Harry and his family grows more remote – a tragedy for both sides. Yet, for Harry, it seems the path forward is one paved with his mother’s legacy, not the family he left behind.
