Buckingham Palace has confirmed that the Duke of York's surname will now include a hyphen, becoming Mountbatten-Windsor, after an initial omission caused confusion. The change follows scrutiny of the original announcement in October, which referred to him as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor without the punctuation mark used by other descendants of Queen Elizabeth II.
The late queen decreed in 1960 that her direct descendants, except those with royal highness status, would bear the surname Mountbatten-Windsor, a hyphenated tribute to her husband, Prince Philip. Princess Anne, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh's children, and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's children all use the hyphenated form.
Royal sources have now confirmed that the palace reviewed the 1960 privy council declaration, which includes a hyphen, and will adopt it for Andrew. The decision rectifies the earlier omission, which had puzzled historians and royal observers.
The original 1960 declaration stated: 'My descendants, other than descendants enjoying the style title or attribute of royal highness and the titular dignity of prince or princess, and female descendants who marry and their descendants, shall bear the name of Mountbatten-Windsor.' The hyphen is also used on the royal family's official website.
