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The British Royal Family’s house name is Windsor. Mountbatten-Windsor is the surname used by certain descendants of Elizabeth II when they need one. The names serve different purposes, so both answers can be right depending on whether you mean the Royal House or an individual’s surname.
Windsor is the Royal House name
Before 1917, British royals generally used the name of their house or dynasty rather than a surname in the modern sense. During the First World War, King George V adopted Windsor as the Royal House name and family surname. The Royal Family’s official history says the change followed anti-German feeling in Britain. The Royal Family’s explanation and history of the House of Windsor describe Windsor as the continuing name of the Royal House.
Elizabeth II confirmed Windsor after her accession in 1952. It remains the name of the house, even though some descendants use a longer surname when they need one.
When some royals use Mountbatten-Windsor
In 1960, Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh arranged for certain descendants to use Mountbatten-Windsor as a surname without changing the Royal House name. The Mountbatten element came from Prince Philip, who took the name Philip Mountbatten when he became a naturalised British subject in 1947 and served as a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy. The Royal Family’s account explains the arrangement; the College of Arms’ guide to royal styles and titles also summarizes it.
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The 1960 arrangement covers specified descendants, not everyone connected with the Royal Family. It provides for descendants other than those with the style of Royal Highness and title of Prince or Princess, and other than female descendants who marry, to carry the name Mountbatten-Windsor. The Royal Family summarizes the practical result by saying the Queen’s children would use that surname on occasions when they needed one.
Why many royals do not use a surname
Members entitled to the style and dignity of HRH Prince or Princess generally do not need a surname. When one is needed—for example, in a context such as marriage—the Royal Family says the surname is Mountbatten-Windsor. As its official explanation puts it, “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.” Read the full explanation.
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The surname appeared on an official document for the first time on 14 November 1973, in the Westminster Abbey marriage register for Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips. That historical milestone does not mean every royal routinely uses it.
What the names mean in practice
| Name | What it identifies | Who uses it |
|---|---|---|
| Windsor | The Royal House name, and the family name adopted by George V in 1917 | The Royal House |
| Mountbatten-Windsor | A surname used when needed under the 1960 arrangement | Certain descendants of Elizabeth II; titled princes and princesses generally do not need a surname |
Official lists illustrate the distinction. The Royal Family’s succession page includes Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor. In a Buckingham Palace statement published on 31 October 2025, the Palace said: “Prince Andrew will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.” The same statement said the King had initiated a formal process to remove Andrew’s styles, titles and honours. The statement uses no hyphen in that quoted wording, while other official pages use Mountbatten-Windsor. Read the 2025 statement and consult the official succession list.
Does the surname rule bind every monarch?
No. The Royal Family notes that a proclamation about the family name is not statutory and does not bind later sovereigns. The 1917 declaration established Windsor for the specified descendants in its terms; the 1960 arrangement addressed the surname used by certain descendants. Those distinctions explain why the Royal House name and an individual surname can differ.
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