Palace considers giving Andrew a 'subtle but significant' title update
Andrew was reintroduced to the public as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, notably written without the hyphen
Andrew Mountbatten Windsor may soon receive a subtle but symbolically important change to his title, as Buckingham Palace is reportedly considering restoring the traditional hyphen in his surname.
After the 65-year-old was stripped of all royal titles and honours, including his princely status, he was reintroduced to the public as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, notably written without the hyphen historically used by members of the royal family.
Now, palace insiders suggest officials are debating whether to revert to the formal version, Mountbatten-Windsor, in line with Queen Elizabeth II’s 1960 decree, which united her family name with that of her husband, Prince Philip.
At the time, the Queen’s official statement declared: “While I and my children shall continue to be styled and known as the House and Family of Windsor, my descendants… shall bear the name of Mountbatten-Windsor.”
Andrew, born the same year, was the first royal child registered under the combined family name.
The move to potentially reinstate the hyphen is said to be “administrative, not honorific,” but it subtly acknowledges the late Queen’s long-standing wish for royal descendants to honour both family lines.
Royal author Nigel Cawthorne said: “Each change around Andrew feels reluctant and too late, another symbol of the complicated royal reckoning he faces.”
