https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/archies-surname-caused-huge-royal-21934722?utm_source=mirror_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Mirror12at19&utm_campaign=daily_newsletterArchie's surname caused huge Royal Family row years before he was even born
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry decided to call their firstborn son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor and opted against giving him an HRH title
by Zoe ForseyLifestyle Editor
07:00, 6 MAY 2020Updated09:50, 6 MAY 2020
This time last year, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry shared the happy news that they had welcomed a baby son. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex broke every royal tradition in the book when it came to Archie's birth, keeping the key details secret and opting not to pose for photos on the hospital steps. But one thing they did do in line with other royals before them kept us waiting a few days before announcing the name. When they did finally reveal that the new royal tot would be known as Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, they also shared a gorgeous photo of him meeting the Queen and Prince Philip. The announcement confirmed that he won't have an HRH title, and would instead use Mountbatten-Windsor the family's official surname used by all members who don't have a title. However, the name caused a huge row when it was first introduced back in 1973 decades before Meghan and Harry wrote it on little Archie's birth certificate. Before marrying the Queen Philip was Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg. However, this wasn't neutral enough so he adopted the name Mountbatten after his grandparents. When the then Princess Elizabeth had the couple's first child Prince Charles, he assumed they would take on his name in the traditional way. But Prime Minister Winston Churchill didn't agree and wanted them to continue to use the name Windsor, which was the official Royal Family surname. The Queen's grandmother Queen Mary agreed, and it caused such a row that the matter was even discussed in Parliament. In the end, the Queen made the decision to go with her family's views, and the name Windsor was used. At the time, Philip reportedly said: "I am nothing but a bloody amoeba. I am the only man in the country not allowed to give his name to his own children."
Royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith even went as far as to suggest that the upset over the name was the reason for the 10 year age gap between Princess Anne and Prince Edward. However, when the couple fell pregnant with their third child Elizabeth was sitting on the throne, which changed things slightly. Philip reportedly refused to drop the issue, and in 1960 she went to see the Harold Macmillan, who had then taken over as PM. She said "she absolutely needed to revisit" the issue and admitted it "had been irritating her husband since 1952".
Finally, a comprise was met, and on February 8, 1960, 11 days before Prince Andrew was born the Queen declared that she had adopted the name Mountbatten-Windsor. She announced that it would be used by all her descendants who do not enjoy the title of His or Her Royal Highness.
