Mother of 'Khaleesi' says daughter denied passport to visit Disneyland

When author George RR Martin first created the dragon-riding character Daenerys Stormborn in 'A Song of Ice and Fire' book series in 1996, little did he know that a decade-and-half later, 'Khaleesi', would take over pop culture with the unassailable popularity of Game of Thrones.

At the peak of Game of Thrones' popularity, the mothers named their daughters Khaleesi. Not the Queen but Khaleesi.

Now one such mother was left devastated after her daughter's passport application was denied because she was named Khaleesi.

According to a New York Post report, Lucy, from South West England, told the BBC that the initial application to get her daughter, Khaleesi, 6, a passport was denied.

Officials reportedly told her that 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 39-year-old mother was planning their "dream" trip to Disneyland Paris.

"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 receiving legal advice, the disappointed mother learned her daughter was allowed to use that name.

"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.

The Passport Office reportedly later called Lucy to apologise for the error.

"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.

Lucy is now waiting for her daughter’s passport to arrive before booking a new trip to Disneyland Paris.

"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 New York Post.

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.

(With inputs from agencies)