Overview

• Prince Harry explored ditching Mountbatten-Windsor for Spencer as a symbolic break from his paternal lineage.
• During a recent Britain visit, he consulted his uncle Earl Spencer on legally adopting their mother’s maiden name.
• Earl Spencer discouraged the move, warning that steep legal hurdles would likely prevent any surname change.
• Had the change proceeded, it would have affected the official surnames of Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
• He has put the Spencer change on hold and continues to use Sussex informally for his immediate family.