Mountbatten-Windsor

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Elizabeth in crown and robes next to her husband in military uniform
Coronation portrait of Elizabeth II and Philip, June 1953
Coat of arms of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Coat of arms of the House of Battenberg
Badge of the House of Windsor

Mountbatten-Windsor is the personal surname used by some of the male-line descendants of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Under a declaration made in Privy Council in 1960, the name Mountbatten-Windsor applies to male-line descendants of the Queen without royal styles and titles.[1] Individuals with royal styles do not usually use a surname, but some descendants of the Queen with royal styles have used Mountbatten-Windsor when a surname was required.

Current use[]

The British monarchy asserts that the name Mountbatten-Windsor is used by members of the Royal Family who do not have a surname, when a surname is required.[1] For example, Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Anne, Princess Royal, children of the Queen, used the surname Mountbatten-Windsor in official marriage registry entries in 1986 and 1973 respectively.[2] Likewise, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, used the name when filing a French lawsuit related to the topless pictures of his wife published by the French magazine Closer.[3]

At the time of the 1960 declaration, palace officials claimed in private communications that it created a hidden surname that would emerge several generations later when some of Queen Elizabeth II's descendants were further removed from the throne.[4] On the wedding of Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones in 1999, the Queen decided, with their agreement, that any of their future children should not be styled His or Her Royal Highness.[5] Consequently, the birth of their daughter in 2003 marked the first emergence of the Mountbatten-Windsor surname. Their daughter was named Louise Alice Elizabeth Mary Mountbatten-Windsor, and she goes by the title of Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor, her father being the Earl of Wessex.[6]

Mountbatten-Windsor differs from the official name of the British royal family, which remains the House of Windsor.[1] In accordance with law and custom in the English-speaking world, the surname Mountbatten-Windsor belongs to all male-line descendants of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, and is used by them if and when a surname is needed. In contrast, male-line descendants of King George V, the first monarch of the House of Windsor, use Windsor as their surname if and when a surname is needed. The surviving male-line descendants are all descendants of the King's sons Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, and Prince George, Duke of Kent, because King George VI had only daughters (of whom only Queen Elizabeth II is alive) and no sons, and King George V's other two sons, King Edward VIII and Prince John, left no descendants. After the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was renamed Windsor, other descendants of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert could also use the name Windsor. For example, Alastair Arthur Windsor, 2nd Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, was descended from Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, but none do today because the only surviving male-line descendants are the descendants of King George V and the descendants of Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, whose descendants use the surname Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (English) or von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha (German).

Male-line descendants of Elizabeth II and Philip[]

The family tree is based on the current line of succession to the British throne with their spouses and female line descendants.

  • Crown of Saint Edward (Heraldry).svg Queen Elizabeth II (b. 1926) ∞ Coronet of a British Duke.svg Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (1921–2021) – M 1947
    • (1) Coronet of the British Heir Apparent.svg Charles, Prince of Wales (b. 1948)
    • (9) Coronet of a Child of the Sovereign.svg Prince Andrew, Duke of York (b. 1960)
      • (10) Coronet of a Grandchild of the Sovereign.svg Princess Beatrice, Mrs Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi (b. 1988)
      • (12) Coronet of a Grandchild of the Sovereign.svg Princess Eugenie, Mrs Jack Brooksbank (b. 1990)
    • (14) Coronet of a Child of the Sovereign.svg Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex (b. 1964)
      • (15) Coronet of a Grandchild of the Sovereign.svg James Mountbatten-Windsor, Viscount Severn (b. 2007)
      • (16) Coronet of a Grandchild of the Sovereign.svg Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor (b. 2003)
    • (17) Coronet of a Child of the Sovereign.svg Anne, Princess Royal (b. 1950)

Marriages[]

Date Wedding Combined coat of arms
20 November 1947 Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten Combined Coat of Arms of Elizabeth and Philip, the Duchess and Duke of Edinburgh.svg
14 November 1973 Princess Anne and Mark Phillips Combined Coat of Arms of Princess Anne and Mark Phillips.svg
29 July 1981 Charles, Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer Combined Coat of Arms of Charles and Diana, the Prince and Princess of Wales.svg
23 July 1986 Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Sarah Ferguson Combined Coat of Arms of Andrew and Sarah, the Duke and Duchess of York.svg
12 December 1992 Anne, Princess Royal and Timothy Laurence
19 June 1999 Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and Sophie Rhys-Jones Combined Coat of Arms of Edward and Sophie, the Earl and Countess of Wessex.svg
9 April 2005 Charles, Prince of Wales and Camilla Parker Bowles Combined Coat of Arms of the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall.svg
29 April 2011 Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine Middleton Combined Coat of Arms of William and Catherine, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.svg
19 May 2018 Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan Markle Combined Coat of Arms of Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.svg
12 October 2018 Princess Eugenie of York and Jack Brooksbank
17 July 2020 Princess Beatrice of York and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi

See also[]

  • House of Windsor – Queen Elizabeth II's paternal family house
  • House of Bowes-Lyon – Queen Elizabeth II's maternal family house
  • House of Glücksburg – Prince Philip's paternal family house
  • House of Mountbatten – Prince Philip's maternal family house

References[]

  1. ^ a b c "The Royal Family name". The British Monarchy. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
  2. ^ Philip Ziegler, Mountbatten: The Official Biography, 1985, p.682
  3. ^ Lichfield, John (19 September 2012). "William and Kate win legal battle – but lose war to keep topless photos under wraps". The Independent. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
  4. ^ http://www.heraldica.org/topics/britain/TNA/HO_290_72.htm (see, in particular, the article by Edward F. Iwi).
  5. ^ Even though such children would theoretically be a Prince or Princess under the 1917 letters patent which changed the name of the Royal House to Windsor.
  6. ^ "Lady Louise heralds return for Mountbattens". The Telegraph. 27 November 2003.

External links[]

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