Under an ambiguously-worded Order-in-Council issued in 1960, the name Mountbatten-Windsor is the personal surname of some of the descendants of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. It differs from the official name of the British Royal Family or Royal House, which remains Windsor. The change of surname does not apply to members of the royal family who are not descended from the Queen. The Order specifically applies the surname to those descendants of the Queen not holding Royal styles and titles but in practice it is used by all the British Royal Family descended from Queen Elizabeth II as their surname, as shown at the marriages of the Prince of Wales and the Princess Royal, when both used Mountbatten-Windsor in the banns issued announcing their marriages.

History of the name Mountbatten

Mountbatten originates in the German Battenberg. Prince Louis of Battenberg changed his surname to Mountbatten (a literal English translation) during the First World War at the request of King George V. When the then Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark took British citizenship, he used this as his surname, as he descends from the Mountbatten family through his mother. It may also be seen as an act in honor of the Earl Mountbatten of Burma, the Prince's uncle.

Holders of the surname Mountbatten-Windsor

The following people either hold or have held, under the above common interpretation, the surname Mountbatten-Windsor. They are listed in the order of succession to the Crown.

• Charles, Prince of Wales (both of whose wives assumed the surname on marriage)
  • Prince William of Wales
  • Prince Harry of Wales
• Andrew, Duke of York
  • Princess Beatrice of York
  • Princess Eugenie of York
• Edward, Earl of Wessex (his wife, formerly Sophie Rhys-Jones assumed his surname on their marriage)
  • Lady Louise Windsor - daughter of the Earl of Wessex, whose surname is Mountbatten-Windsor but whose title is simply Windsor.
• Anne, Princess Royal (until her marriage with Mark Phillips in 1973 (div. 1992), when she assumed his surname; her surname has subsequently changed again on the occasion of her marriage with Timothy Laurence in 1992)

Of course, few of these people actually use this surname, owing to the styles that are used for members of the Royal Family. For example, when the Duke of York was in the Navy, he was referred to as Lieutenant His Royal Highness, The Prince Andrew before he became The Duke of York, and Lieutenant His Royal Highness, The Duke of York afterwards - but not Lieutenant Mountbatten-Windsor. While Mountbatten-Windsor was entered into the marriage register for Prince Andrew and Princess Anne, the Prince of Wales was entered as simply "The Prince Charles Philip Arthur George".

Both Princes William and Harry have used "Wales" as a last name during their schooling. When Prince Harry enters Sandhurst Military Academy, he will be known as Officer Cadet Wales.

See also

• Battenberg
• Mountbatten
• Wettin
• Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg

Reference

• Staff at Buckingham Palace and St James's Palace were consulted for this article.