Overview

• Prince Harry consulted his uncle Earl Spencer during a recent UK visit about adopting his mother Princess Diana’s maiden name
• Earl Spencer advised against the change, citing insurmountable legal complications around altering the Mountbatten-Windsor surname
• An official switch to Spencer would extend to Harry’s children, Archie and Lilibet, removing the Mountbatten-Windsor name from their certificates
• Mountbatten-Windsor is the formal surname for Queen Elizabeth II’s descendants and holds deep emotional value for King Charles III
• Harry and Meghan have informally used 'Sussex' since 2018 but have not taken legal steps to redefine their family surname