Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was given a tiny addition to his name after being stripped of his Dukedom, titles and honours, it has emerged. The disgraced former prince will now use a hyphen between his last two names, royal sources have confirmed.
When Andrew’s new name as a commoner was announced on October 30, as he was banished from the monarchy over his friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, the Palace stated he would be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. However, the surname was missing the hyphen decreed by the late Queen Elizabeth II, 65 years ago, when she outlined the arrangements for the naming of her descendants as Mountbatten-Windsor.
When asked about the absence of a hyphen, in reference to the Queen’s decision in 1960, a Palace spokeswoman said at the time of the announcement confirming Andrew’s loss of his titles: “Andrew Mountbatten Windsor was the name agreed.”
It is understood that the Palace has subsequently examined the 1960 Privy Council Declaration, which includes a hyphen, and will use a hyphen going forward.
In 1960, Elizabeth II declared her direct descendants – other than those with the style of royal highness and the title of prince or princess – that when they needed a surname, they would use Mountbatten-Windsor.
Eight years earlier, after her accession in 1952, the Queen had decided that the royal family’s surname would still be Windsor and not the Duke of Edinburgh’s surname Mountbatten, much to Philip’s annoyance.
“I’m just a bloody amoeba,” Philip is said to have shouted, when learning his children would not bear his surname, complaining he was the only man in the country not allowed to do so.
In the end, the late Queen, in a gesture to her aggrieved husband, gave him a concession of a double-barreled surname joined by a hyphen – just days before their third child, Andrew, was born.
The official declaration on February 8 1960 – ahead of Andrew’s arrival on February 19 1960 – read: “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.”
It also currently appears written as Mountbatten-Windsor on the Royal Family’s official website.
Andrew was born a prince, but had this birthright title removed by the King because of his “serious lapses of judgment” over his association with convicted sex offender Epstein.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.express.co.uk ’
