The name Mountbatten-Windsor is a blend of two family names: Mountbatten from Prince Philip and Windsor from the British royal house name created during World War I.

Quick Scoop: Short Answer

  • “Windsor” comes from Windsor Castle and was adopted in 1917 when King George V dropped the German-sounding Saxe-Coburg and Gotha during World War I.
  • “Mountbatten” is Prince Philip’s family surname, an anglicised form of the German name Battenberg , which his relatives changed during earlier anti‑German feeling.
  • In 1960 , Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip decided that their direct descendants who needed a surname would use Mountbatten-Windsor , distinguishing them from the wider royal family while keeping the royal House name as Windsor.

How “Windsor” Entered the Royal Name

Originally, the British royal family belonged to the House of Saxe‑Coburg and Gotha , reflecting its German dynastic roots.

During World War I, anti‑German sentiment in Britain was intense, and King George V wanted a name that sounded clearly British. He chose Windsor , inspired by Windsor Castle, one of the monarchy’s key residences, as both the house name and, in practice, the family surname for descendants of King George V.

How “Mountbatten” Became Part of It

Prince Philip was born a Prince of Greece and Denmark , but when he became a naturalised British citizen in 1947, he renounced those foreign titles and took the surname Mountbatten.

Mountbatten was his mother’s family name and an anglicised form of Battenberg , used by his relatives after they changed their own Germanic title during earlier anti‑German feeling in the UK. Philip was closely connected to the Mountbatten side of his family and even lived with them for periods of his youth.

The 1960 Compromise: Why “Mountbatten-Windsor”

By the late 1950s, there was a tension:

  • The royal house was officially the House of Windsor , tied to George V’s change in 1917.
  • Prince Philip understandably wanted his children to carry his surname, Mountbatten.

In 1960 , Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip agreed on a compromise:

  1. The royal house would remain Windsor , preserving the dynasty’s established name.
  1. Their direct descendants , when they needed a surname (for example on legal documents or for those without royal styles like HRH), would use Mountbatten-Windsor.

This decision was formalised via the Privy Council, and that is the moment Mountbatten-Windsor became the official family surname for their line.

In Practice: Who Uses “Mountbatten-Windsor”?

Not every royal uses a surname in daily life, but when they do, descendants of Elizabeth II and Philip can use Mountbatten-Windsor on documents like marriage registers or birth certificates.

You’ll most often see it attached to royals who are:

  • Further from the throne, or
  • Styled without HRH, or
  • Needing a full legal surname for civilian life (for example, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor).

TL;DR:
The name Mountbatten-Windsor comes from merging the old wartime‑adopted royal house name “Windsor” with Prince Philip’s anglicised family surname “Mountbatten” (from Battenberg) , under a 1960 decision by Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip so their descendants would carry both sides of the family.

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