The Reason Why Queen Elizabeth Was Allowed To Choose Her Surname

Feb 24, 2020 by apost team

Many royals have two or three middle names and the Queen is no different; her full name is Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, but her last name is perhaps not as familiar. This is becasue the queen got to pick her surname. 

Because of the royals' repertoire, it isn't really necessary for them to add last names to their already lofty title of 'prince,' 'duchess,' or 'queen.' For this reason, many royals go by their territorial names, such as Windsor. 

For example, Prince William and Prince Harry both used "Wales" as their surnames during their military service time. The children of Prince William and Kate, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, both use the last name Cambridge at school. 

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George V gave Queen Elizabeth the last name of "Windsor" back in 1917 when she was born. 

Because most people refer to the queen as "her majesty" or "Queen Elizabeth," the use of her surname is not often necessary. However, both her and Prince Philip took the surname "Mountbatten-Windsor" in 1960. 

"Mountbatten-Windsor" was used to set the prince and the queen apart from just the Windsors, and the name comes from the family name of Prince Philip's mother. According to the royal website, Prince Philip first took the name in 1947 when he became a British citizen. Before he was the Prince of Greece and Denmark. but he gave the titles up once he married into the British royal family. 

What do you think about the history behind Queen Elizabeth's surname? Do you know any other interesting things about the royal family's history? Let us know your thoughts and pass this along to others so they can let us know, too!