Was Harrys surname always Mountbatten-Windsor?

[ssd]

I thought it was just Windsor?

I know the Mountbatten connections, i dont need it explained.

[SoupDragon]

I think he was Wales when at school/in the army.

[SoupDragon]

I googled and found this onPrince Phillip's wiki page:
Through a British Order in Council issued in 1960, descendants of the couple not bearing royal styles and titles can use the surname Mountbatten-Windsor, which has also been used by some members of the British royal family who hold titles, such as Anne, Andrew and Edward.

So it is the accepted surname, yes.

[MissyB1]

Good question 🤔 I also thought it was Windsor.

[BikeRunSki]

Yes, I remember learning this at school in the 1970s. Harry and William were known as Wales at school and in the forces, much as Charlotte and George are known as Cambridge.

[Vikingintraining]

He was Harry Wales at school, that surname coming from his father being the Prince of Wales, just as William's children are George & Charlotte Cambridge at school now.
But now being a non-royal he can use the surname Mountbatten-Windsor. Edward's children use the same surname as they also don't use royal titles.

[goldierocks]

In the 'Name and Surname' box on Prince Harry's birth certificate it says:
His Royal Highness Prince Henry Charles Albert David - no surname was included.

It was exactly the same when Prince William was registered (His Royal Highness Prince William Arthur Philip Louis) - no surname.

George, Charlotte and Louis all have 'of Cambridge' written after their names. Beatrice and Eugenie had 'of York', taken from their father's titles.

There is a good explanation on Royal.UK which explains usage of title vs. surname (Mountbatten-Windsor).

[antsy]

Mountbatten-Windsor is the correct name to use given he is no longer a senior royal.

[ChoccyJules]

I always thought they took on Windsor instead of Mountbatten as the latter was too Germanic.

[GiantKitten]

Mountbatten was the WWI anglicisation of Battenburg.
That really was Germanic!

[GiantKitten]

Battenberg rather

[Topseyt]

Yes. It has always been available to him, amongst others such as Wales.

[antsy]

The link-up above explains it well. I think the tabloids have sometimes used the surname Windsor, but Mountbatten-Windsor is the correct form. They are following protocol.

[EdithWeston]

The apparent anomaly is Lady Louise Windsor, though she is Mountbatten-Windsor in full but doesn't ever seem to use that version.

It was always going to be Windsor as a surname as monarch takes precedence. Adding Mountbatten was to avoid excluding Prince Philip

[feellikeanalien]

Well it could have been worse, he could have been Henry Saxe-Coburg-Gotha ( which is what the royal family was known as till 1917 when it was changed to Windsor because of anti-German sentiment during WW1).

I watched a documentary on this a few weeks ago.

[ssd]

Yeah they are more German than anything.

[donquixotedelamancha]

It was always going to be Windsor as a surname as monarch takes precedence. Adding Mountbatten was to avoid excluding Prince Philip

Not so. This is the first time it's occured. Historically the wife (even a queen) takes the husband's surname, which would have made Charlie the first king of the house of Mountbatten.

It was Liz who decided this was not to be the case. Phil was apparently pissed off.

[SenecaFallsRedux]

Harry doesn't need a surname because he is a prince. But if he wanted to use one, it would be Mountbatten-Windsor. His children do need surnames because they are not prince and princess.

Harry could also use Sussex as a surname if he chose. A non-royal Duke might use for example "Edward Norfolk" although he would sign his name as just "Norfolk."

[Maireas]

Earl Mountbatten of Burma was disappointed that the Queen kept Windsor as the dynastic name. He was an ambitious man and hoped for the House of Mountbatten to be the ruling House! The hyphenated surname was a compromise for the non titled, as pp have suggested.

[Comeinoutoftherain]

William and Harry used Wales as a surname when they were at school/in the army, taken from their Father's title as the Prince of Wales.

When William married he became the Duke of Cambridge, so his children take Cambridge as a surname, because they are titled - HRH and Prince/Princess.

Harry became the Duke of Sussex on marriage, but because of the way the letters patent (and the amendments) are set out, Archie won't become HRH Prince Archie until Charles becomes King.

So because he isn't HRH, he takes the official surname, which is Mountbatten-Windsor; which was decided when the Queen ascended the throne.

The Wessex children are a bit of an anomaly. They are technically HRH, and entitled to be Princess Louise and Prince James, using the last name Wessex as needed. Because The Wessex's chose not to use HRH, they have adopted the use of the Mountbatten-Windsor surname.

We don't see Mountbatten-Windsor used very much so far, because Andrew didn't have a son. If Eugenie had been a boy, then August would have been August Mountbatten-Windsor, rather than August Brooksbank. Same will be true for Beatrice.

If Charles really is planning to amend the letters patent further, meaning Archie and Lili won't become HRH when he ascends the throne, then there's only Archie and James who are likely to carry the surname down the line going forward.

This is assuming that James isn't made a Duke when he marries, which I think is unlikely given Beatrice and Eugenie weren't made Duchesses and Charles is likely to be king before that happens.

I wonder if the plan is still that Edward becomes Duke of Edinburgh in time, and whether that changes the plan for the Wessex children?

[SnottyLottie]

I do believe that Edward will become the Duke of Edinburgh when the Queen passes. Therefore James will be allowed to inherit the title the Earl of Wessex as a subsidiary title. Then he will become Duke of Edinburgh on Edward’s passing.

So perhaps James is allowed to use the surname Severn now?

[Maireas]

Yes, I'm wondering if James uses the title Severn as a surname at school? (as Seneca notes with dukes etc) I would imagine that Edward, then James become the next Dukes of Edinburgh, and so on.

[WinnieTheW0rm]

"So perhaps James is allowed to use the surname Severn now?"

No, these using one of their father's subsidiary titles still retain the family surname for when they need it.

If they ever reversed their choice, and Archie became the Earl of Dumbarton, he would still be Archie Mountbatten-Windsor.

It's different for Wales, Yorks and now Cambridge DC because they have the style of Prince/ss so need a surname only occasionally, and can choose their father's princely/ducal name, or use the family surname.

They seem to choose the shorter name - and also lop off half of the double barrelled one.

[Maireas]

Though the Earl of Snowdon was known as David Linley at school, rather than Armstrong Jones.

[SenecaFallsRedux]

The long-followed convention is for the eldest son of a peer to use his father's subsidiary titles as a surname. It's not actually his surname; that would be the family name. So James can be called James Severn as David Armstrong-Jones, Viscount Linley was called David Linley while his father was alive.

[SenecaFallsRedux]

I should add that the convention of using one of the subsidiary titles is for the eldest son of a peer who does not have a princely title.

The use of Wales and Cambridge as surnames is really a shortening for "of Wales" and "of Cambridge."