In the aftermath of losing his titles, home, and reputation, the former Prince Andrew has found himself with a new addition—specifically, a hyphen in his surname.
Previously announced as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, the disgraced royal is now officially recognized as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. This subtle change aligns his name with the double-barreled surname adopted by Queen Elizabeth II for her descendants over six decades ago.
The name is a blend of the royal family’s surname, Windsor, which was selected by King George V in 1917, and Mountbatten, the family name of Queen Elizabeth’s husband, Prince Philip.
Initially, Queen Elizabeth had opted to use only Windsor, which prompted a notable grievance from Prince Philip about being the only man in England not permitted to pass on his name to his children.
In a gesture of compromise, Queen Elizabeth made an official declaration on February 8, 1960—just days before Andrew’s birth—stating: “My descendants, other than those 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.”
Elizabeth relented, and in an official declaration on February 8, 1960 â days before her son Andrew was born â said: “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.”
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The hyphen has been added after palace officials studied the 1960 declaration.
King Charles III announced on October 30 that he was removing his brother’s titles and evicting him from his royal residence near Windsor Castle over his relationship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Pressure had been growing on the palace to oust the 65-year-old prince from his Royal Lodge home over new revelations about his friendship with Epstein and renewed attention on sexual abuse allegations by one of Epstein’s victims, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, whose posthumous memoir was published last month.
The king went even further to punish Mountbatten-Windsor for serious lapses of judgment by removing the title of prince that he had held since birth.
Mountbatten-Windsor has always denied Giuffre’s allegations.
