'We had to cancel a trip to Disneyland because of my daughter's name'

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

A mum has been left “devastated” after her six-year-old daughter missed out on a trip to Disneyland after her passport application was rejected due to her name.

Mum Lucy, 39, told The BBC the British Passport Office initially refused the application for her daughter Khaleesi, citing trademarking law.

Officials initially said they couldn’t issue the passport unless they had permission from Warner Brothers, who they said owned the name’s trademark due to its popularity from the hit show Game of Thrones.

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However, the Passport Office has since apologised for their “error”.

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

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A UK mum Lucy (left) was ‘absolutely devastated’ after her daughter's passport was denied because she was named after a Game of Thrones character. Picture: BBC

"I never thought you could trademark a name"

Lucy had saved up for a “dream” trip to Disneyland Paris, but was shocked when she got the rejection letter from the Passport Office.

“It was the first I’ve heard of such a thing - I was astonished,” she said.

The BBC reports Lucy then sought out legal advice, and solicitors discovered that while Warner Brothers did hold a trademark for Game of Thrones, it’s for goods and services - not 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,” Lucy said.

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“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.”

A Passport Office spokesperson has since told Lucy there had been a “misunderstanding”, and staff were using guidelines that only applied to people changing their names.

“We can confirm the application is being processed and apologise to the family for the delay,” the spokesperson told The BBC.

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Officials at first told Lucy (left) the name was trademarked and could not be used for a passport. Picture: BBC

"I've had other people tell me about having similar experiences"

However, Lucy believes the issue was only fixed because of media coverage.

“If I hadn’t posted this on social media, nothing would have been done,” she claims.

“I would have been stuck not knowing what to do.

“I’ve had other people contact me about having similar experiences.”

The BBC reports Lucy still plans to take Khaleesi to Disneyland Paris, but is now waiting until she has a passport in her hands before she books anything.

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

“Hopefully they now know it can be resolved.”

Originally published as 'We had to cancel a trip to Disneyland because of my daughter's name'