Expert Says Harry’s Latest Stunt Sends a 'Terrible Message' — Charles Urged to 'Sever' All Ties
Despite his public plea for reconciliation in his BBC interview last month, Prince Harry's actions since then have continued to show otherwise, as per experts. As reports emerged recently of the Duke of Sussex having once considered changing his last name to that of his mother's Princess Diana, royal critics argue it sends a 'terrible message'. His alleged move, reportedly a response to the UK government delaying the issue of new reports for Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, has experts convinced it was intended as a warning to King Charles. As such, they opined that Charles should 'sever' all ties with his son.
Royal commentators Charles Rae and Sarah Hewson sat with host Bronte Coy for The Sun’s Royal Exclusive show and discussed the King’s next move after Harry tried to change his surname to 'Spencer'. According to Rae, Harry seems not to know ‘what he wants to do.’ He stressed, “It was only less than a month ago that he was pleading for a reconciliation with his father and his brother... And the next thing we hear, and I think the story was well sourced, he wants to change the name from Mountbatten-Windsor to Spencer.” Dubbing it a ‘terrible message' to send to the royal family, the expert claimed that the father-of-two was not ‘really’ seeking reconciliation. Rather, Rae suggested, “He wants to be completely severed from the royal family... the King should grant his wish. I think he should sever him from the royal family.”
Hewson also questioned Harry’s intentions behind his decision to change his surname, as she noted, “I mean, is it to send a message to the royal family? Is it to say, ‘Ok, fine, you don't want to talk to us, then we're not a part of this anymore.’” Hewson also discussed Harry’s closeness with the Spencers and said, “They are the ones who turned up for the 10th anniversary Invictus service at St. Paul's, for example.” The expert also noted how no royal family member was present at the Games. She continued, “Is it to honor his mother? ...Some more cynical commentators have suggested, well, it would be very good marketing in the United States to have the Spencer name and Lilibet would then be Lilibet Diana Spencer.”
A source, earlier this month, told the Daily Mail that Harry had expressed his wish to change his name to his uncle, Charles Spencer, during a rare visit to Britain. A friend of the estranged Prince said, “They had a very amicable conversation and Spencer advised him against taking such a step,” in light of the legal hurdles he may face in the future.
All descendants of the late Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip usually take the family name Mountbatten-Windsor, and Archie and Lilibet took up the same, as per their birth certificates. However, Meghan Markle, on her show With Love, Meghan, confirmed earlier this year that she and her family now go by 'Sussex'.