Prince Harry wanted to change last name to Spencer after rift from royal family

Prince Harry allegedly wanted to take late mother Diana Spencer’s last name after his falling out with the royal family.

The Duke of Sussex sought advice from Diana’s younger brother, Earl Spencer, during a rare visit to the UK, a friend of Harry’s told the Daily Mail in an article published Saturday.

Harry, 40, allegedly asked his uncle, born Charles Edward Maurice Spencer, about ways he could take the new surname.

However, the source claimed Harry was told there would be too many legal hurdles.

“They had a very amicable conversation and Spencer advised him against taking such a step,” the friend said.

Harry had reportedly been weighing the option to trade the Spencer surname with the Mountbatten-Windsor name that his kids with Meghan Markle — Prince Archie, 5, and Princess Lilibet, 3 — were given on their birth certificates.

As Page Six previously reported, the siblings were born Master Archie Mountbatten-Windsor and Miss Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor.

However, their titles were updated to Prince Archie of Sussex and Princess Lilibet of Sussex after Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III’s ascension to the throne in 2022. Page Six confirmed in 2024 that Sussex was the last name of their kids.

Markle shared in an episode of her “With Love, Meghan” Netflix show, which premiered in March, that she and her husband also use Sussex as their last name.

The “Confessions of a Female Founder” podcaster, 43, had been chatting with her guest Mindy Kaling, who kept referring to her as “Meghan Markle,” when the former actress made the correction.

“It’s so funny, too, that you keep saying Meghan Markle. You know I’m Sussex now,” the As Ever founder clarified.

Markle went on to explain how “meaningful” it was that she could share a last name with her family.

“You have kids and you go, ‘No, I share my name with my children,’” Markle said. “It just means so much to go, ‘This is our family name, our little family name.’”

Harry and Markle have been estranged from the red-headed royal’s family members since 2020 when the couple exited their roles as senior royals and moved to California.

Tensions grew stronger when Harry wrote about his family drama in his “Spare” memoir in 2023.

Harry’s relationship with dad King Charles III, 76, and brother Prince William, 42, has since remained icy despite his efforts to make amends.

Diana divorced Charles in 1996 — just one year before she tragically died in a car accident at the age of 36.

Page Six has reached out to the Sussex family’s rep for comment.