A mother was left “devastated” after her six-year-old daughter’s passport application was rejected because of her name.
Lucy, from Wiltshire in the UK, had saved for more than two years for a family trip. She had often worked 50-hour weeks to take her daughter to Disneyland Paris.
The trip was meant to be their dream vacation and their first holiday together. However, a letter from the Passport Office disrupted the family’s plans. Officials said there was an issue with the child’s passport application.
The issue was linked to the girl’s unusual name. Lucy’s daughter is named Khaleesi, a name linked to the Game of Thrones franchise. Daenerys Targaryen often introduces herself as Khaleesi in the HBO series.
Khaleesi is a feminine title meaning “queen” in Dothraki. Dothraki is a fictional language created by Game of Thrones author George R. R. Martin. Since 2014, the name Khaleesi has steadily grown in popularity.
In 2017, the year Lucy’s daughter was born, 76 girls were given the name from the hit HBO show.
Officials cited a Warner Brothers trademark
Officials originally told Lucy they could not issue her daughter a passport without permission from Warner Brothers. They said the company owned the trademark for the name Khaleesi. Lucy said she felt “frustrated” because they had been “so looking forward” to the trip.
“I was absolutely devastated, we were so looking forward to our first holiday together.
“I had a letter come through from the Passport Office, which said her name is trademarked by Warner Brothers.
“It was the first I’ve heard of such a thing – I was astonished.”
Lucy added: “I never thought you could trademark a name.”
Her solicitor said there was a trademark, but it covered goods and services only. The solicitor said it did not apply to a person’s name. Lucy did not believe this was the main reason the issue was resolved.
“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.”
Social media users questioned the decision
After hearing the name and the story behind it, people responded on social media. Many expressed disbelief that the passport application had caused an issue. Some questioned why the name had been accepted at birth.
One person said: “I’m shocked it was an issue in the first place considering the birth register accepted it years before.”
Another added: “How ridiculous.”
“Out of all the names these days, this one is rejected?” questioned a third.
The Passport Office later called Lucy and apologised for the error. The issue was put down to a misunderstanding. The advice given by staff applied only to people changing their names.
Although the matter was eventually resolved, Lucy said the delay affected the family’s holiday plans. She said vacation prices had increased since the original application problem. The cost increase left the planned Disneyland Paris trip uncertain.
“We may not be able to go to Disney now because of the delay, the prices have gone up by $800. I have been working for six days a week to pay for the holiday and now it looks like we won’t be able to go.”
Lucy sought help after the delay
Lucy remained determined to take her daughter away despite the setback. She set up a GoFundMe page to help cover the increased costs. The page explained that the delay had caused the holiday price to rise sharply.
“Now I am asking for help to get us this holiday as since the delay in all of this the price of the holiday has gone from $1,800 to $3,200 for the cheapest hotel.”
Featured image credit: Family Handout
