Ever since former prince Andrew demoed Pain Mor Andrew Mountabat Windsor, royal watchers and historians have been scratching their heads over his missing hyphen.
The official statement from Buckingham Palace announcing her new common status is clear, in black and white, with a punctuation mark removed from Queen Elizabeth II.
Princess Anne signed her 1973 marriage register as of Mountbatten-Windsen-Windstor, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh use as children of Edainburgh, as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex use – all hyphens.
Even in a family with many and constantly changing surnames – Windsor, Wales, York, Edinbabsog – Wind-Windernal called Tribute to her husband, Princce Felipe.
So why not Andrew? She lost her last name on the hyphen when her new name was announced on 30 October in violation of her friendship with convicted sex offender Offrey Epstein.
When asked about the absence of a hyphen at the time, a palace spokesman said: “Andrew Mountbatten Windsor is the name.”
Royal sources have now confirmed that mountbonat-windsor will use the punctuation mark between his two last names. The Palace understands that the Palace has reviewed the 1960 private declaration of the council, which included a hyphen, and will use one from now on.
In 1960, Queen Elizabeth declared that her direct descendants – except those with the title of highness and the title of prince or princess – would use Mountbatten-Windsor – Windsen-Windsen if they needed a surname.
This was a significant rise for her husband, after he had decided upon his 1952 arrival that the family surname would remain Windsor, and not mountat, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Anne’s surname. Felipe is said to have said: “I am one of our own blood,” and he complained that he was the only person in the country whose children did not bear the name of their father.
Eight years later he gave her a conscience in a double barrel appeal that joined a hyphen – days before their third child, Andres was born.
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The official declaration on 8 February 1960 – before the arrival of Andrew on 19 February 1960 – “The title of the Descendant of the Prince or Prince, and their descendants who marry the prince or princess, except the descendants of the prince or princess, and descendants who marry and their descendants, and their descendants, who marry in the court of the prince or princess, except the descendants of Styleten and descendants who marry their descendants, and their descendants who marry in the meeting of the prince or princess, except for the descendants of Stylenten and descendants who marry and their descendants, who age in Bakawakten-Windsor.”
It also now appears written as Mountbatten-Windsor on the official website of the royal family.