Will Baby Sussex Have a Different Last Name Than Prince William and Kate Middleton’s Children?
The moment we have all been waiting, albeit not so patiently, for has finally come. Meghan Markle gave birth to her and Prince Harry’s first child early yesterday morning.
The couple announced the baby boy’s birth via Instagram by posting a picture with the words “it’s a boy!”
“We are pleased to announce that Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Sussex welcomed their firstborn child in the early morning on May 6th, 2019,” the caption read. “Their Royal Highnesses’ son weighs 7lbs. 3oz.”
“The Duchess and baby are both healthy and well, and the couple thank members of the public for their shared excitement and support during this very special time in their lives.”
Before the baby was born, people had been guessing at both the sex and the first name of the child. But no one really wondered what the baby’s last name would be.
What is the last name of the royal family?
Before 1917, the British royal family did not take last names. They were simply referred to as their House name and the kings and queens were known by their country names.
This began to change when rivals would take over the country, stopping the line of succession from going through family lines.
In this time, children would take the name of their House from their father. In 1917, King George V made Windsor the name of his House and the last name of his family.
Later that year, it was declared that all male descendants in the line of Queen Victoria would have the last name, Windsor.
The name was confirmed in 1952 when Queen Elizabeth II took the throne but in 1960, she and the Duke of Edinburgh wanted their direct descendants to have a distinguished name from the rest of the royal family, so they decided that all of those coming from the Queen’s lineage would carry the last name Mountbatten-Windsor.
Does the royal family use this last name?
Though Mountbatten-Windsor is the family’s formal royal last name, none of them really use it.
Prince William went by William Wales in school and Prince Harry went by Harry Wales in reference to their father, Prince Charles, being the Prince of Wales.
William’s son, Prince George, continued the tradition and goes by George Cambridge in school as his mother and father are the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
What will baby Sussex’s last name be?
Since most of the royal family choose another name besides their formal Mountbatten-Windsor title, its safe to assume that Harry will probably do the same with his child.
Harry and Markle are the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, so their child will probably follow in suit and carry the last name, Sussex.
When will we find out baby Sussex’s name?
Royal baby names are typically announced a few days after the birth of the child.
Speaking to the media yesterday, Harry gave a rough timeline of when we may get to learn the baby’s name.
“We’re still thinking about names,” he told the reporters. “The baby is a little bit overdue so we’ve had a little bit of time to think about it but that’s the next bit for us. I think we will probably be seeing you guys in two days time as planned.”
Read more: Has Prince Harry Introduced Meghan Markle to Princess Diana’s Family?
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