What's in a name

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It was just over 50 years ago on February 8, 1960, when the following was published in the London Gazette. The announcement was made nine days before Queen Elizabeth II gave birth to a son.

At the Court at Buckingham Palace, The 8th day of February 1960.
Present, the Queen's Most Excellent Majesty in Council.
Her Majesty was this day pleased to make the following declaration:
"My Lords
Whereas on the 9th day of April 1952, I did declare in Council My Will and Pleasure that I and My children shall be styled and known as the House and Family of Windsor and that My descendants, other than female descendants who marry and their descendants, shall bear the name of Windsor:
And whereas I have given further consideration to the position of those of My descendants who will enjoy neither the style, title or attribute of Royal Highness, nor the titular dignity of Prince and for whom therefore a surname will be necessary:
And whereas I have concluded that the Declaration made by Me on the 9th day of April 1952, should be varied in its application to such persons:
Now, therefore, I declare My Will and Pleasure that, while I and My Children shall continue to be styled and known as the House and Family of Windsor, 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 statement is ambiguous, to say the least. One can interpret this decree in different ways, and many have. So what does it actually mean?
Well, for one thing, the name of the House remained the same: Windsor. The surname Windsor, which was established in 1917 by George V, remains extant for the non-royal male-line descendants of the younger sons of George V. The surname Windsor also appeared on the marriage registrar in 1947 when Princess Elizabeth married Lt. Philip Mountbatten. Elizabeth was listed as Elizabeth Alexandra Mary.
She was the only of her generation to use the Windsor surname, as the name does not appear on the marriage registrars for Princess Margaret or for the Dukes of Kent and Gloucester and Princess Alexandra.

It was largely assumed that the surname, Mountbatten-Windsor, would not be used until there were male-line descendants of Elizabeth II who were not royal. This was not the case. The surname Mountbatten-Windsor was first used in November 1973, when Princess Anne married Mark Phillips. She was listed as Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise Mountbatten-Windsor. But the use of the surname has not meant that Anne -- or her siblings -- use the surname daily. They don't. British royals do not have a surname. Their first names are sufficient, and they use only their first names to sign documents.

Look at Anne's marriage registrar. She signed as Anne, and not as Anne Mountbatten-Windsor.
The Mountbatten-Windsor surname was also used when Anne married Lt. Timothy Laurence and by Prince Andrew and Prince Edward at their respective weddings in 1986 and 1999. They signed the registrars as Andrew and Edward. No surname.

Charles, as the heir to the throne, has not used the Mountbatten-Windsor name. His official titles appear on the marriage registrars for both his weddings. Mountbatten-Windsor is the official surname for Edward's children, Lady Louise and Viscount Severn.

(Yes, yes, technically, Louise and James should be styled as HRH Princess Louise and HRH Prince James of Wessex, but Edward and Sophie decided that they wanted their children to live a more private life. It was announced that any children born to this marriage would not be styled as royal highness, but would bear the courtesy titles as children of an earl.)

Although her surname is Mountbatten-Windsor, Lady Louise is officially styled as The Lady Louise Windsor. Her brother is styled as Viscount Severn, and will probably sign his name as James Severn until he succeeds to his father's earldom or the Edinburgh dukedom.) The surname Mountbatten-Windsor will likely appear prominently among Edward's male-line descendants.

It was Queen Elizabeth's decision to have Anne use the Mountbatten-Windsor name, but she did consult with her Prime Minister to confirm whether her children were entitled to the Mountbatten-Windsor surname. She received a reply: "The effect of Your Majesty's Declaration is that all the children of Your Majesty who may at any time need a surname have the surnames Mountbatten-Windsor."

Except for the marriage registrars, none of the Queen's children have used the Mountbatten-Windsor surname. Princes William and Harry use Wales as a surname at school. Prince Andrew's daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie, use York, not Mountbatten-Windsor, as a surname, although they sign only their first names.
Andrew, whose official title is the Duke of York, and his wife, the former Sarah Ferguson, were divorced in 1996. Sarah ceased to be a royal highness and a princess of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland when the divorce became final. The loss of the HRH was also made clear in a Letters Patent issued by Queen Elizabeth.

Although Sarah was not styled as Princess Sarah, she had the rank of a princess because her husband was a prince. Her title was HRH Duchess of York. If the Queen had not created Andrew a duke, Sarah would have been styled as HRH The Princess Andrew.) After the divorce was final, Sarah's official style became Sarah, Duchess of York, This followed the precedent for divorced wives of peers of the realm.

Sarah did not acquire the Mountbatten-Windsor surname after the divorce because she did not use the surname during the marriage. Before the divorce, she signed her name as Sarah. After the divorce, she used Sarah York as her name, although in more recent years, she has chosen to use her maiden name, Ferguson, for her business deals. This is perfectly legal, even though she has not reacquired the Ferguson name by deed poll.

Although she uses the Ferguson surname, Sarah's official name is Sarah, Duchess of York. It is incorrect to refer to Sarah as the Duchess of York because she is no longer married to the duke of York. Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York is also incorrect, although it is the name used by The Sarah Ferguson Foundation. Sarah Ferguson and Sarah, Duchess of York, are the same person, but the names should be never combined. The surname Ferguson is not a part of the style of Sarah, Duchess of York. It is probably a good idea to use Ferguson when discussing Sarah's career, and Sarah, Duchess of York, when writing about the former wife of the Duke of York, in a non-business context.