Unlike most male siblings in
the UK, Prince William and Prince Harry’s children do not share
the same surname – something that may come as a surprise to royal fans.
William and Kate’s little ones
– Prince George, eight, Princess Charlotte, seven, and Prince
Louis, four – all have the last name ‘Cambridge’, taking after their dad’s
title, the Duke of Cambridge.
Prince George is enrolled
as George Cambridge at his school Thomas’s Battersea. Likewise, his sister
Princess Charlotte is known as Charlotte Cambridge, while Louis is known
at nursery as Louis Cambridge.
According to the royal
family’s official website, a declaration made by the Queen in Privy
Council in 1960 said that male-line descendants of the monarch, without
royal styles and titles, shall bear the name Mountbatten-Windsor.
When Harry and
Meghan’s son Archie was born in May 2019, Buckingham Palace announced that
the royal tot had not been issued with a title and would be known as
Master Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor – a nod to his
great-grandparents, the Queen and the late Duke of Edinburgh.
Hence, why Harry’s son Archie
uses the surname Mountbatten-Windsor. His younger sister Lilibet Diana
also uses the same surname.
William and Harry grew up with
the surname ‘Wales’, using it at school, at university and during their time in
the army. William was known as Lieutenant Wales while Harry had the rank of
Captain Wales.
This is because their father
Prince Charles’ title is the Prince of Wales but following their marriages,
William and Harry were granted new titles from their grandmother the Queen, and
their children are expected to take these on.
In a similar vein, Princess
Eugenie and Princess Beatrice also use the surname ‘York’ after their father
Prince Andrew, the Duke of York.
