Girl named Khaleesi has her passport application rejected after the Home Office claimed the six-year-old’s name had been trademarked by the network that made Game of Thrones – putting dream trip to Disneyland Paris at risk
A six-year-old girl’s passport application was rejected just before a dream vacation to Disneyland because she was named after a character from Game of Thrones.
Khaleesi Holloway’s mother, Lucy, had to postpone plans for the £2,000 trip after she was told her daughter’s name fell within trademark rules.
The Passport Agency said they could not issue passports unless Warner Brothers agreed, because Warner Brothers owned the trademark for the name Khaleesi.
Officials told Lucy to contact the American film and entertainment studio to get permission to use the photo.
The Ministry of the Interior, which operates the passport office, has since confirmed that an error had been made and that the application is now being processed.
Khaleesi Holloway’s mother Lucy was forced to cancel a £2,000 dream holiday to Disneyland after she was told her daughter’s name breached trademark rules
Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen in the hit series Game of Thrones
Officials told Lucy she had to contact the American film and entertainment studio to get permission to use the name Khaleesi
Emilia Clarke’s character Daenerys Targaryen was given the title Khaleesi, or queen, in the hit series Game of Thrones
Lucy, 39, from Swindon, Wiltshire, said, according to the BCC: “I was absolutely devastated, we were so looking forward to our first holiday together.”
Speaking about the moment the application was rejected, she said: ‘I didn’t understand it and felt frustrated. If she could have gotten a birth certificate, wouldn’t something have been noticed then?
‘I never thought you could register a name as a trademark.’
Emilia Clarke’s character Daenerys Targaryen was given the title Khaleesi, or queen, in the hit series Game of Thrones.
Lucy says she calls her daughter Cally for short, but the six-year-old often introduces herself as Khaleesi Holloway, Queen of the Dragons.
The single mother only applied for a passport for Khaleesi after she had saved money and planned their trip to Disneyland together.
Lucy said she calls her daughter Cally for short, but the six-year-old often introduces herself as Khaleesi Holloway Queen of Dragons
Conleth Hill as Lord Varys, Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen and Iain Glen as Jorah Mormont in Game of Thrones
Emilia Clarke’s character Daenerys Targaryen was given the title Khaleesi, or queen, in the hit series Game of Thrones
She said she was “devastated” when their first holiday had to be postponed because of the mistake.
Lawyers advised Lucy that while Warner Brothers does own a trademark for Game of Thrones, it does so for goods and services, not a person’s name.
Passport office staff later called Lucy to apologize, saying that the guidelines staff had been given only apply to people changing their names.
Lucy posted her story on social media, but she believes she was only able to resolve it because of the attention she received online.
A Home Office spokesman said: “We can confirm that the application is being processed and apologise to the family for the delay.”