unilad homepage
unilad homepage
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • World News
    • Crime
    • Health
    • Money
    • Sport
    • Travel
  • Music
  • Technology
  • Film and TV
    • News
    • DC Comics
    • Disney
    • Marvel
    • Netflix
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Archive
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
6-year-old girl has passport rejected because she’s named after Game of Thrones character
Home>News>UK News
Published 09:21 5 Aug 2024 GMT+1

6-year-old girl has passport rejected because she’s named after Game of Thrones character

The application was rejected as the child's name caused an unexpected complication at the passport office

Kit Roberts

Kit Roberts

google discoverFollow us on Google Discover
Featured Image Credit: HBO/BBC

Topics: News, World News, Game of Thrones, Film and TV

Kit Roberts
Kit Roberts

Kit joined UNILAD in 2023 as a community journalist. They have previously worked for StokeonTrentLive, the Daily Mirror, and the Daily Star.

Advert

Advert

Advert

A mom found herself in the middle of legal wrangling after trying to get a passport issued for her daughter.

Lucy from Southwest England had been applying for a passport for her daughter ahead of a family trip to Disneyland.

The trip would have been the family's first holiday together, but they ran into some complications when the passport office told them they couldn't issue a passport.

When Lucy applied there, the office responded that her daughter's name meant they would not be able to process the request.

Advert

That's because Lucy's daughter was named after one of the main characters in hit HBO series Game of Thrones.

Lucy was trying to get a passport for her daughter. (BBC)
Lucy was trying to get a passport for her daughter. (BBC)

As a result, Lucy found herself consulting an attorney to make sure that her daughter Khaleesi would be able to secure a passport.

Speaking to the BBC, Lucy described how the incident had affected the family.

She said: "I was absolutely devastated, we were so looking forward to our first holiday together."

The passport was initially declined as they claimed that the name 'Khaleesi' was trademarked by Warner Brothers.

Lucy said: "It was the first I've heard of such a thing - I was astonished."

Fortunately the mom was able to resolve the problem after getting in touch with a solicitor.

After combing through the legalese around the matter, they found that while there was a trademark in place it was only for good and services, not people's names.

Lucy sent that to the passport office, who acquiesced but still told her she would need to contact Warner Brothers to confirm that her daughter would be able to use the name.

The complication was because there was a trademark on the name 'Khaleesi'. (BBC)
The complication was because there was a trademark on the name 'Khaleesi'. (BBC)

She said: "I didn't understand and felt frustrated. If she could get a birth certificate, would something not have been flagged up then?

"I never thought you could trademark a name."

Finally, Lucy heard from the passport office that they should be able to process the passport, and apologised for the confusion.

She said: "If I hadn't posted this on social media, nothing would have been done.

"I would have been stuck, not knowing what to do. People contacted me about similar experiences."

Lucy added: "I think there might be other people in this situation, that they may have had their passports declined recently because of something like this.

"Hopefully, they now know it can be resolved."

A spokesperson for the UK Home Office told the BBC: “We can confirm the application is being processed and apologise to the family for the delay.”

Choose your content:

an hour ago
3 hours ago
  • Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
    an hour ago

    Charlie Kirk's alleged killer attempts to avoid death penalty by challenging reliability of DNA evidence

    Tyler Robinson is accused of assassinating Charlie Kirk

    News
  • Paramount Pictures
    an hour ago

    Stephen King hated movie sequel starring Terminator 2's Edward Furlong so much he's never watched it

    The horror author opened up about his disapproval of the adaptation

    Film & TV
  • Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images
    3 hours ago

    Donald Trump's poop will be flown back to US during visit to Turkey as part of long-standing practice

    It's the first time in 17 years a sitting US president has set foot in Turkey

    News
  • Alex Pantling - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images
    3 hours ago

    Doctor explains what causes 'pump bump’ that has World Cup players cutting the back of soccer cleats

    Players may sometimes take unusual steps to counteract the condition, but just how effective is it?

    News
  • Game of Thrones star Kit Harington didn't find out his real name until he was 11 years old
  • Emilia Clarke admits she 'cried with fear' after learning about Game of Thrones nude scenes
  • Kit Harington opens up about 6-week rehab stint after Game of Thrones' final season
  • Stranger Things creators give hint at rest of final season saying 'this isn't Game of Thrones'