In case you missed it, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry welcomed their son on Monday, May 6, revealing on Wednesday that his name is Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor.
Usually, royals aren’t referred to with last names, instead being referred to by their official title, but as Markle and Harry decided to forgo a courtesy title for Archie, he will use the royal family’s last name.
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Many people had assumed that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s son would be referred to as the Earl of Dumbarton, which is one of Harry’s subsidiary titles. Instead, he will have an actual last name of Mountabben-Windsor, which has been the royal family’s surname since the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.
Prior to the monarch’s rule, the royal family’s surname had been Windsor due to a decision by George V who chose Windsor as his dynasty’s name. After becoming queen, Elizabeth II issued a decree in 1960 to incorporate husband Prince Philip’s family’s last name, which is Mountbatten, into the royal family surname, though the House name remained Windsor.
“People often ask whether members of the Royal Family have a surname, and, if so, what it is,” the royal family’s website reads. “Members of the Royal Family can be known both by the name of the Royal house, and by a surname, which are not always the same. And often they do not use a surname at all.”
The latter is the case with Prince William and Kate Middleton‘s children, who are referred to as Prince George of Cambridge, Princess Charlotte of Cambridge and Prince Louis of Cambridge, as Cambridge is William’s dukedom. However, it was previously reported that George and Charlotte go by George Cambridge and Charlotte Cambridge at school, in a similar fashion to their dad and his brother.
As Prince Charles was known as the Prince of Wales, William and Harry went by William Wales and Harry Wales at school, respectively. Harry is now the Duke of Sussex, so his children could technically use Sussex as their surname at school, but the couple’s announcement seems to indicate that Archie will always go by Mountbatten-Windsor.
“Unless The Prince of Wales 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,” the website adds.
Should Markle and Harry decide to title their future children — one of whom will hopefully be named Jughead — they would be referred to as “Lord” or “Lady,” though they would also have the last name Mountbatten-Windsor.
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