Surnames can be a strange thing in the royal family. High-ranking royals such as Prince William and Harry have traditionally taken their surnames from their father’s title. As sons of the Prince of Wales the pair were known as Wales while at school and even in the military with Harry, for example, being known as Captain Wales.
However, this is not a rule that universally applies to the brothers’ children, with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis having different surnames to their cousins Archie and Lillibet. The reason for this dates back to the 1960 and a decision made by the Privy Council.
The old rule was actually decided by the Queen and Prince Philip who said that they would like their own direct descendants to be distinguished from the rest of the Royal Family. It was therefore declared in the Privy Council that The Queen’s descendants would carry the name of Mountbatten-Windsor.
There were expectations to this rule, however, which means that the Cambridge kids aren’t called Mountbatten-Windsor and Prince Harry’s kids are. The rule stipulates that anyone with a title in the style of Royal Highness and the title of Prince/Princess would not get the name. Instead, they would be named in the same way Harry and William were, after their titles.
This means that Prince George, Princess…