Buckingham Palace has performed a subtle but significant U-turn, confirming that the disgraced Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor will now use a hyphen in his surname after it was initially omitted.
The Royal Name Correction
When the former Duke of York was banished from the monarchy on October 30 and stripped of his princely titles, the Palace announced he would be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. However, this version notably lacked the hyphen that had been a fixture of the royal family name for decades.
Following scrutiny, royal sources have now confirmed that the Palace has revisited the matter. After examining the original 1960 Privy Council Declaration, officials have decided that the punctuation mark will be reinstated. The name will now correctly appear as Mountbatten-Windsor for the King's brother moving forward.
The Historical Roots of Mountbatten-Windsor
The double-barrelled surname has a fascinating history rooted in a marital compromise. The late Queen Elizabeth II created the hyphenated name in 1960, just days before the birth of her third child, Andrew.
This decision came eight years after her accession in 1952, when she had decided the royal family's surname would remain Windsor, rather than adopting Prince Philip's surname, Mountbatten. The move was said to have greatly annoyed the Duke of Edinburgh.
I'm just a bloody amoeba, Philip is famously reported to have shouted upon learning his children would not bear his name.
The Queen's eventual declaration on February 8, 1960 stated that her descendants, other than those using the style Royal Highness and the title of Prince or Princess, would bear the name Mountbatten-Windsor when a surname was required.
Modern Implications and Context
This correction brings Andrew's name into line with the official presentation on the royal family's website, where it currently appears as Mountbatten-Windsor.
The reinstatement of the hyphen comes after Andrew was stripped of his HRH style, his dukedom, and his princely title due to what the King described as serious lapses of judgment concerning his association with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Despite losing his birthright titles, this small grammatical adjustment ensures his surname now accurately reflects the historic declaration made by his mother sixty-five years ago.
