Keira Knightley has found herself at the center of split rumors after a quiet but striking change to her professional paperwork sparked questions about the state of her marriage, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Knightley, 40, best known for her roles in Pirates of the Caribbean and Pride & Prejudice, has altered official company records in the U.K. by removing her husband’s surname from documents linked to her business affairs.
‘It’s Not Something You Do Lightly’
Knightley has altered official company records in the U.K.
The update, made with Companies House, relates to KCK Boo Ltd, her performing arts company, which held more than $15million in assets in its most recent accounts.
Until now, Knightley had been registered as Keira Christina Righton. But the new filing lists her as Keira Christina Knightley, using what the documents describe as “new details” supplied by the actress.
Knightley and her husband have not been photographed together since attending Wimbledon in July last year.
A source familiar with the situation said the company’s move had “raised eyebrows” in professional circles. “People noticed because it’s not something you do lightly,” the source said.
“Dropping a married name from official records inevitably leads to questions about why now.”
Another industry insider added the change had “put Keira right at the center of split and divorce speculation, whether she intended it or not.”
Keira Knightley’s Struggles With Name Change Revealed
Knightley married James Righton in France in 2013.
Knightley married James Righton, 42, a former member of the pop band Klaxons, in France in 2013.
The couple shares two daughters, Edie and Delilah. Knightley has spoken openly in the past about her complicated feelings around changing her name.
In 2014, discussing the idea of taking her husband’s surname, she said: “I went to do the passport thing ‘cos I was thinking, ‘Shall I do it? It will be helpful.’ But you actually have to see it written down, and I found I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t go there. Yet.”
She later began using Righton’s surname for official purposes in 2021 after what friends described as a period of soul-searching.
The actress joked about her marriage on ‘The Drew Barrymore Show.’
The couple marked their 10th wedding anniversary in 2023, when Knightley joked on The Drew Barrymore Show it was “a miracle to have made it this far” in her marriage.
Despite their high profiles, Knightley and Righton have consistently kept their private life out of the spotlight.
In December, Knightley offered a rare glimpse into her and Righton’s early relationship during an appearance on the Dish from Waitrose podcast, hosted by Nick Grimshaw and Angela Hartnett.
Reflecting on their early dating years, she described issuing Righton with an ultimatum over his eating habits.
‘He Was Like a Child’
The movie star sold the French vineyard where she married Righton.
“He just couldn’t cook – all he ate was cheese on toast,” she said. “I was like, ‘This is not going to work.’ He wouldn’t even go out for dinner. He didn’t understand going to restaurants. He was bizarre.”
She added friends stepped in to help. “My oldest friend is a proper old-school bon viveur – we basically trained him,” Knightley said. “He was like a child.”
More recently, the actress has spoken about selling the French vineyard where she and Righton married, admitting it had become difficult to maintain.
“It’s an extraordinary thing – how they make (wine) and how difficult it is, particularly if you’re doing it organically,” she said. “We don’t have the vineyard now.”
