Could Prince Harry’s next step be his most hurtful yet to King Charles?

Prince Harry has reportedly considered changing his surname to Spencer, in honour of Princess Diana, a move seen as a blow to King Charles.

According to recent reports, Prince Harry spoke to Diana’s brother, Charles Spencer, to explore how he could change his surname legally.

The move, if it had gone ahead, would have meant that Prince Harry’s children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, would also need to give up their current surname, Mountbatten-Windsor.

Sources say Prince Harry raised the idea during a visit to the United Kingdom, though the exact timing is unclear.

Prince Harry is said to have “actively explored” the legal process for the change, but was reportedly told by his uncle that the legal barriers were too great. The Mail on Sunday claimed the move would have been seen as a “hurtful” blow to King Charles.

Traditionally, members of the Royal Family do not use a surname.

However, when one is required, such as on legal documents, they use Mountbatten-Windsor, a combination of the Windsor name and Prince Philip’s adopted surname, Mountbatten.

The surname is available to all descendants of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.

Both of Prince Harry’s children use the Mountbatten-Windsor surname on their birth certificates. However, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, recently shared that she now goes by the surname Sussex.

During an episode of her Netflix series With Love, Meghan corrected her guest, actress Mindy Kaling, saying, “I’m Sussex now.”

She added, “You have kids and you go, ‘No, I share my name with my children’.

I didn’t know how meaningful it would be to me, but it just means so much to go, ‘This is our family name. Our little family name.’”

This reported consideration by Prince Harry highlights the continued tension between his role in the Royal Family and his personal choices, particularly when it involves honouring Princess Diana, who remains a deeply important figure to him.