Mum’s anger over Game of Thrones passport mix-up

The trip to Disneyland Paris would have been their first holiday abroad

Family handout A woman is hugging a laughing girl and both are looking at the camera — The trip to Disneyland Paris would have been their first holiday abroad

A woman was left “devastated” after her daughter’s passport application was rejected because she was named after a Game of Thrones character.

Lucy, 39, from Swindon in Wiltshire, said the Passport Office initially refused the application for Khaleesi, six.

Officials said they were unable to issue a passport unless Warner Brothers gave permission because it owned the name’s trademark. But the authority has since apologised for the error.

“I was absolutely devastated, we were so looking forward to our first holiday together,” Lucy said.

Lucy named her daughter Khaleesi after a Game of Thrones character

Family handout Mum smiling with sparkling black and white top, cuddling her son with purple hate, who is also smiling. — Lucy named her daughter Khaleesi after a Game of Thrones character

After planning and saving up for a ‘dream’ trip to Disneyland Paris, Lucy, who works in Cirencester, applied for a passport for Khaleesi.

“But then I had a letter come through from the Passport Office, saying her name is trademarked by Warner Brothers,” she said.

“It was the first I’ve heard of such a thing – I was astonished.”

After seeking legal advice, her solicitors discovered that while there is a trademark for Game of Thrones, it is for goods and services – but not for a person’s name.

“That information was sent to the Passport Office who said I would need a letter from Warner Brothers to confirm my daughter is able to use that name,” she said.

‘A misunderstanding’

“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,” she added.

The Passport Office has since called Lucy to apologise and said a ‘mistake’ had been made.

Official explained there had been a misunderstanding and the guidance staff had originally given applies only to people changing their names.

“He advised me that they should be able to process my daughter’s passport now, ” she said.

But Lucy believes it has only been resolved because of media coverage.

“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,” she said.

Lucy and Khaleesi are still waiting for the passport to arrive

Family handout A smiling woman is holding her daughter up to the camera — Lucy and Khaleesi are still waiting for the passport to arrive

In the meantime, both she and Khaleesi are still hoping they can make it to Disneyland Paris in the near future. Lucy has waited to book the holiday until all the passports have arrived.

“I am hoping the passport will be issued soon and was promised that they would call back in a few days to see if it had progressed,” she added.

Lucy is also hoping her story might help others.

“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,” she said.

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

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