Mountbatten-Windsor is the personal surname used by some of the male-line descendants of

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

and

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 1921 – 9 April 2021) was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he served as the consort of the British monarch from El ...

. Under a declaration made in Privy Council in 1960, the name ''

Mountbatten The Mountbatten family is a British dynasty that originated as an English branch of the German princely Battenberg family. The name was adopted on 14 July 1917, three days before the British royal family changed its name to “Windsor”, by ...

- Windsor'' applies to male-line descendants of Queen Elizabeth II without royal styles and titles. 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. For example,

Prince Andrew, Duke of York Prince Andrew, Duke of York, (Andrew Albert Christian Edward; born 19 February 1960) is a member of the British royal family. He is the younger brother of King Charles III and the third child and second son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince ...

, and

Anne, Princess Royal Anne, Princess Royal (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; born 15 August 1950), is a member of the British royal family. She is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the only sister of Kin ...

, children of Queen Elizabeth II, used the surname ''Mountbatten-Windsor'' in official marriage registry entries in 1986 and 1973 respectively. Likewise, William, the then 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''. 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. On the

wedding of Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones The wedding of Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones took place on 19 June 1999 in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. Queen Elizabeth II's youngest child, Prince Edward, was created Earl of Wessex hours before the ceremony. Background and en ...

in 1999, the Queen decided, with their agreement, that any of their future children should not be styled His or Her

Royal Highness Royal Highness is a style used to address or refer to some members of royal families, usually princes or princesses. Monarchs and their consorts are usually styled ''Majesty''. When used as a direct form of address, spoken or written, it ta ...

. 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 Lady Louise Alice Elizabeth Mary Mountbatten-Windsor (born 8 November 2003) is the elder child of Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and Forfar, and Sophie, Countess of Wessex and Forfar, both members of the British royal family. She is a grandda ...

, her father being the

Earl of Wessex Earl of Wessex is a title that has been created twice in British history – once in the pre-Conquest Anglo-Saxon nobility of England, and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. In the 6th century AD the region of Wessex (the lands of the We ...

. Mountbatten-Windsor differs from the official name of the British royal family, which remains the

House of Windsor The House of Windsor is the reigning royal house of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms. In 1901, a line of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (itself a cadet branch of the House of Wettin) succeeded the House of Hanover to ...

. 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 George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Q ...

, the first monarch of the House of Windsor, use ''Windsor'' as their surname if and when a surname is needed, as for example

Lady Davina Windsor Lady Davina Elizabeth Alice Benedikte Windsor (born 19 November 1977), known as Lady Davina Lewis between 2004 and 2018, is the elder daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. Montgomery-Massingberd, Hugh. " Burke’s Royal Families of the ...

and

Lady Marina Windsor Lady Marina Charlotte Alexandra Katharine Helen Windsor (born 30 September 1992) is a British noblewoman and relative of the British royal family. Although she is a great-great-granddaughter of King George V, and a second cousin once removed o ...

, respectively descended from George V's sons

Prince George, Duke of Kent Prince George, Duke of Kent, (George Edward Alexander Edmund; 20 December 1902 – 25 August 1942) was a member of the British royal family, the fourth son of King George V and Queen Mary. He was a younger brother of kings Edward VIII and Geo ...

and

Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, (Henry William Frederick Albert; 31 March 1900 – 10 June 1974) was the third son and fourth child of King George V and Queen Mary. He served as Governor-General of Australia from 1945 to 1947, the only memb ...

. (George V's other sons have no male-line descendants:

King George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until Death and state funeral of George VI, his death in 1952. ...

had only daughters while

King Edward VIII Edward VIII (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David; 23 June 1894 – 28 May 1972), later known as the Duke of Windsor, was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire and Emperor of India from 20 January 1 ...

had no issue and Prince John was unmarried.) After the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was renamed Windsor, other descendants of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previ ...

and Prince Albert could also use the name Windsor, as for example,

Alastair Arthur Windsor, 2nd Duke of Connaught and Strathearn Alastair Arthur Windsor, 2nd Duke of Connaught and Strathearn (9 August 1914 – 26 April 1943) was a member of the British Royal Family. He was the only child of Prince Arthur of Connaught and Princess Alexandra, 2nd Duchess of Fife. He was a g ...

, grandson of their son Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn. None do so today, however, because the only male line (apart from the descendants of King George V) is through

Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha '' , house = Saxe-Coburg and Gotha , father = Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany , mother = Princess Helen of Waldeck and Pyrmont , birth_name = Prince Charles Edward, Duke of Albany , birth_date = , birth_place = Cla ...

, 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 Succession to the British throne is determined by descent, gender, legitimacy and religion. Under common law, the Crown is inherited by a sovereign's children or by a childless sovereign's nearest collateral line. The Bill of Rights 1689 a ...

, excluding female-line descendants. * Crown of Saint Edward (Heraldry)

(1926–2022)'' ∞ Coronet of a Child of the Sovereign

(1921–2021)'' – m. 1947 ** Tudor Crown (Heraldry)

King Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...

(b. 1948) ***(1) Coronet of the British Heir Apparent

William, Prince of Wales William, Prince of Wales, (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982) is the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and his first wife Diana, Princess of Wales. Born in London, William was educa ...

(b. 1982) ****(2) Coronet of a Child of the Heir Apparent

Prince George of Wales Prince George of Wales (George Alexander Louis; born 22 July 2013) is a member of the British royal family. He is the eldest child of William, Prince of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales. George is the eldest grandchild of King Char ...

(b. 2013) ****(3) Coronet of a Child of the Heir Apparent

Princess Charlotte of Wales (b. 2015) ****(4) Coronet of a Child of the Heir Apparent

Prince Louis of Wales Prince Louis of Wales ( ; Louis Arthur Charles; born 23 April 2018) is a member of the British royal family. He is the third and youngest child, as well as the second son, of William, Prince of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales. Louis i ...

(b. 2018) ***(5) Coronet of a Child of the Sovereign

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, (Henry Charles Albert David; born 15 September 1984) is a member of the British royal family. He is the younger son of Charles III and his first wife Diana, Princess of Wales. He is fifth in the line of succ ...

(b. 1984) ****(6) Coronet of a Grandchild of the Sovereign

Archie Mountbatten-Windsor Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor (born 6 May 2019) is the son of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. He is a grandson of King Charles III and is sixth in the line of succession to the British throne. Birth, family a ...

(b. 2019) ****(7) Coronet of a Grandchild of the Sovereign

Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor (b. 2021) **(8) Coronet of a Child of the Sovereign

(b. 1960) ***(9) Coronet of a Grandchild of the Sovereign

Princess Beatrice Princess Beatrice, Mrs Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi (Beatrice Elizabeth Mary; born 8 August 1988) is a member of the British royal family. She is the elder daughter of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Sarah, Duchess of York. She is a niece of Charle ...

, Mrs Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi (b. 1988) ***(11) Coronet of a Grandchild of the Sovereign

Princess Eugenie Princess Eugenie, Mrs Jack Brooksbank ( ; Eugenie Victoria Helena; born 23 March 1990) is a member of the British royal family. She is the younger daughter of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Sarah, Duchess of York. She is a niece of King Ch ...

, Mrs Jack Brooksbank (b. 1990) **(13) Coronet of a Child of the Sovereign

Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and Forfar, (Edward Antony Richard Louis; born 10 March 1964) is a member of the British royal family. He is the youngest child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the youngest sibl ...

(b. 1964) ***(14) Coronet of a Grandchild of the Sovereign

James Mountbatten-Windsor, Viscount Severn (b. 2007) ***(15) Coronet of a Grandchild of the Sovereign

(b. 2003) **(16) Coronet of a Child of the Sovereign

Current use

Male-line descendants of Elizabeth II and Philip

Marriages

See also

References

External links