Royal commentator Rafe Heydel-Mankoo recently delivered a scathing assessment of Prince Harry’s reported consideration of changing his surname to Spencer on GB News.
He noted the potential move as “a very bizarre thing for Harry to consider” and “such an extreme”.
Heydel-Mankoo also characterised the behaviour as pathological, stating: “I would say it’s a pathological act that you have to consider his state of mind.
“It screams of being very narcissistic and attention seeking because that’s the sort of thing you might expect from someone in their 20s. Not a man approaching middle age.”
Prince Harry allegedly got advice from his uncle, Earl Spencer, about changing his family name to Spencer during a rare visit to Britain.
Reports stated that the Duke of Sussex “actively explored ways” to assume his late mother Princess Diana’s surname.
As per the sources, Harry discussed the issue with Diana’s brother and considered dropping the current family name of Mountbatten-Windsor.
The potential change would have affected his children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, who currently use the Mountbatten-Windsor surname.
A friend of the Duke told the Mail on Sunday that “they had a very amicable conversation and Spencer advised him against taking such a step”.
Heydel-Mankoo noted that the consideration revealed “a cruel streak to Prince Harry”, warning it would “obviously going to cause hurt and embarrassment to the King”.
He questioned Harry’s motivations, asking: “Why on earth would he do that?”
The royal commentator argued the potential name change was designed as a public display of estrangement. “It’s about, ‘how can I display to the world how deeply estranged I am from my father’s family? I need to make some dramatic gesture on the world stage, look how noble I am to reject my name’,” he said.
He described changing to “your dead mother’s surname when you’re the son of the King of the Royal House of Windsor” as an extreme act.
The Duke was advised against the move due to “insurmountable” legal hurdles, according to the Mail on Sunday.
Earl Spencer, 61, is said to have counselled his nephew against taking such a step during their discussion.
The change would have required Prince Archie, six, and Princess Lilibet, three, to abandon their current surname of Mountbatten-Windsor. Mountbatten-Windsor combines the Royal family’s House name.
