Why Does Archie Harrison Have A Different Surname Than Prince Harry And Meghan
The reason behind Mountabatter-Windsor.
On Monday we got the long-awaited news that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have welcomed their first child. Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor. The name and first image of the baby were released on Wednesday, which leads to many fans wondering where did the surname ‘Mountbatten’ come from. This, in fact, is a way of paying tribute to Harry’s grandfather, Prince Philip, who brought the surname into the royal family after marrying the Queen.
Back in 1947, Prince Philip of Greece was naturalized as a British citizen and became Philip Mountbatten instead while serving as a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy. So the surname of ‘Mountbatten-Windsor’ has subsequently been given to descendants of the Queen and Prince Philip who are not future Sovereigns, which explains why Prince Charles doesn’t have the surname himself.Â
According to the royal family’s official website, it was declared in the Privy Council 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”. Prince Harry previously used ‘Wales’ as his surname thanks to his father’s title as Prince of Wales, and by choosing to use Mountbatten-Windsor for his child makes it a sweet tribute to his grandfather and the royal family.
Harry and Meghan announced little Archie’s name on their official Twitter account with a statement which read: “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are pleased to announce they have named their first born child: Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor. This afternoon Their Royal Highnesses introduced Her Majesty The Queen to her eighth great-grandchild at Windsor Castle.
The Duke of Edinburgh and The Duchess’ mother were also present for this special occasion.” The message was accompanied by a snap of the Queen and Philip meeting their eighth grandson, who is wrapped up in a blanket in Meghan’s arms, while her mum Doria Ragland and Prince Harry look on at the lovely moment. Speaking about their son, Meghan said: “It’s magic, it’s pretty amazing. I have the two best guys in the world so I’m really happy. He has the sweetest temperament, he’s really calm.”