royal family

the Royal family name - Kings and Queens Since 802 - Line of Succession - Royal family members

Royal family name

Historically, members of Royal families had no need for surnames, as kings and princes were known by the names of the countries over which they and their families ruled. Kings and queens therefore signed themselves by their first names only, a tradition in the United Kingdom which has continued to the present day. Members of the British Royal family had no surname before 1917, but only the name of the dynasty to which they belonged.

The names of dynasties tended to change when the line of succession was passed to a different family branch.

Just as children can take their surnames from their father, so sovereigns normally take the name of their 'House' from their father. For this reason, Queen Victoria's eldest son Edward VII belonged to the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (the family name of his father Prince Albert). Edward VII's son George V became the second king of that dynasty when he succeeded to the throne in 1910.

In 1917, there was a radical change, when George V specifically adopted Windsor, not only as the name of the 'House' or dynasty but also as the surname of his family. The family name was changed as a result of anti-German feeling during the First World War, and the name Windsor was adopted after the Castle of the same name.

The Royal family name of Windsor was confirmed by The Queen after her accession in 1952. However, in 1960, The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh decided that they would like their own direct descendants to be distinguished from the rest of the Royal family (without changing the name of the Royal House), as Windsor is the surname used by all the male and unmarried female descendants of George V.

It was therefore declared that The Queen's descendants, other than those with the style of Royal Highness and the title of Prince/Princess, or female descendants who marry, would carry the name of Mountbatten-Windsor. Unless Prince Charles chooses to alter the present decisions when he becomes king, he will continue to be of the House of Windsor and his grandchildren will use the surname Mountbatten-Windsor.

Kings and Queens Since 802

Line of Succession

Please note that this may all change if the government passes the new law which allows the eldest daughter to succeed to the throne, even if she has a younger brother!

1. HRH Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales (1948).
2. HRH Prince William of Wales, eldest son of Prince Charles (1982).
3. HRH Prince Henry of Wales, younger son of Prince Charles (1984).
4. HRH Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, second son of HM Queen Elizabeth (1960).
5. HRH Princess Beatrice of York, elder daughter of Prince Andrew (1988).
6. HRH Princess Eugenie of York, younger daughter of Prince Andrew (1990).
7. HRH Prince Edward, youngest son of HM Queen Elizabeth II (1964).
8. HRH Princess Anne, the Princess Royal, only daughter of HM Queen Elizabeth (1950).
9. Peter Phillips, son of Princess Anne (1977).
10. Zara Phillips, daughter of Princess Anne (1981).
11. David Armstrong-Jones, Viscount Linley, son of Princess Margaret (1961).
12. The Honorable Charles Patrick Inigo Armstrong Jones, eldest son of Viscount Linley (1999)
13. The Honorable Margarita Armstrong Jones, eldest daughter of Viscount Linley (2002)
14. Lady Sarah Chatto, daughter of Princess Margaret (1964).
15. Samuel Chatto, son of Lady Sarah Chatto (1996)

Royal family members