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6-year-old girl denied passport because she’s named after ‘Game of Thrones’ character: report
30 days ago
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A mother from the UK was utterly crushed after her daughter's passport request was turned down due to her name being a well-known character from the hit TV series "Game of Thrones."
Lucy, from South West England, told the BBC that the initial application to get her daughter, Khaleesi, 6, a passport was denied — with officials telling her she needed Warner Brothers’ approval because they own the name’s trademark.
“I was absolutely devastated, we were so looking forward to our first holiday together,” Lucy said.
The mother at 39 was looking forward to their "ideal" vacation to Disneyland Paris when she received the unfortunate news.
Lucy (left) was “absolutely devastated” after her daughter’s passport was denied because she was named after a “Game of Thrones” characterPhoto byNew York Post
“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.”
Upon getting legal counsel, the upset mother discovered that her daughter could legally use that name and shared this knowledge with the Passport Office.
“I didn’t understand and felt frustrated. If she could get a birth certificate, would something not have been flagged up then?” she said.
“I never thought you could trademark a name,” she added.
Lucy’s daughter was named after the character Daenerys Targaryen, also known as Khaleesi, in the popular HBO show.Photo byAP
The Passport Office reportedly later called Lucy to apologize for the error.
According to the authorities, they can now handle Khaleesi's passport, but Lucy thinks the issue was only fixed because she raised it on social media.
“If I hadn’t posted this on social media, nothing would have been done. I would have been stuck, not knowing what to do,” she said, adding that others had reached out saying they’d experienced something similar.
Officials at first told Lucy (left) the name was trademarked and could not be used for a passport.Photo byNew York Post
Lucy has mentioned that she will only proceed with planning a new trip to Disneyland Paris once her daughter's passport is received.
“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 told the outlet.
She also hopes her story may help others stuck in a similar situation.
“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.
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