Harry Spencer?!? Richard Eden Reports That Harry Considered Changing His Name

And William shares a "Duchy Day" with The Telegraph: The impact he's having a few years into his new role

Prince William. Don’t worry, ladies, it’s from a few years ago, he still has the beard. But, this chest hair was perfection, so we went with it. Getty

Happy June!! Are you in full summer mode? Or gearing up for it? May was a pretty good month for royal watching, let’s hope June is equally so. Well, you have likely heard the news that Richard Eden broke yesterday. Harry considered changing his family’s last name to Spencer. Eden reported that he has “actively explored ways to assume his Mother’s surname”, including discussing the possibility with his uncle, Charles Spencer. Eden cites “sources” for this exclusive (meaning, it wasn’t just one source) and quotes a friend of Harry’s as sharing, “They had a very amicable conversation and Spencer (Charles Spencer) advised him against taking such a step.”

Just to refresh, because Meghan is fast and loose with the titles and family names. Right now, their legal family last name is Mountbatten-Windsor, which was given to Archie and Lilibet at birth. Most assume Meghan’s comments about Sussex being their “family name”, is just a reflection of something in practice, such as at school. On the line of succession page, on the Royal Family website, Archie and Lili are referred to as Prince Archie of Sussex and Princess Lilibet of Sussex.

Interestingly, Meghan recently shared on Jamie Kern Lima’s podcast that she’s never gone by Markle since her wedding. And most royal watchers know that’s not true.

PEOPLE reported that Harry stayed at Althorp House with his uncle when he returned to the UK in August 2024 for the memorial service of Lord Robert Fellowes, also an uncle. Perhaps that visit was when these discussions took place? No timeline is given in the article. The article does point out that Lili would become Lilibet Diana Spencer, if her name was legally changed. Which truly sounds a bit ghoulish, and I say that as a Diana fan.

There’s probably a million things like this that can be dropped for headlines and draw people’s attention to the Sussexes. With this bit of news, it’s clear that Harry wants the public to know how angry he is, August 2024 (if that was the timeline) is less than a year ago. And during Charles’ first year of fighting cancer. These headlines were certainly meant to try and humiliate Charles and the Royal Family, but I think they have had the opposite effect. No one is holding Harry in golden handcuffs to any names or titles. It’s clear that he wants them and only uses press drops like this to bring attention. So, expect more of these little nuggets coming up.

While his brother is mouthing off in headlines and trying to shock us all, William is carrying on with his work. The Telegraph had an interesting profile this week from Hannah Furness about the Duchy of Cornwall and included an extended day with William, as he spent a “Duchy day”. What I find most interesting about William’s inheritance and new position as the Duke of Cornwall, what he can do with it for good. Not many people in this world will ever be in a position like this, with the opportunity to change so much.

The Telegraph article noted how relaxed William was throughout the Duchy Day, compared to royal engagements. Andrew Parsons/Kensington Palace