The British Royal Family has different etiquette and rules for many scenarios, but there are some things that they’re not except of. So, do the Royals — specifically, Prince William — have a last name?
The world has been following William’s life since he was born on June 21, 1982. The son of the late Princess Diana and King Charles III, Prince William is next in line to the throne. He is also Prince Harry’s older brother.
Prince William attended St. Andrews University, where he met his wife, Kate Middleton. The two got married in 2011 and share three children, Prince George, Prince Charlotte, and Prince Louis. So, what is their last name?
Does Prince William have a last name?
Although he is generally referred to as Prince William, or Your Royal Highness, Prince William does have a last name. Things are different for the British Royal Family, and they usually don’t use a last name, but they do have them for official paperwork.
All descendants of Queen Elizabeth, Prince William included, use the last name Mountbatten-Windsor. Windsor is the late Queen Elizabeth’s last name, combined with the late Prince Philip’s last name, Mountbatten, and the decree stands since 1917, when George V shook things up and decided all male descendants would use the surname Windsor — which also applied to Queen Elizabeth.
However, in the Royal Family, family titles also hold the place for last name, and William often used the surname Wales, after their father, the Prince of Wales, while at school, at the university, and in the army. After marriage, the two Royal brothers received other titles, the Duke of Cambridge for William, and the Duke of Sussex for Prince Harry. Now, Prince William is officially the Prince of Wales, which means he continues to use his previous surname.
Similarly, Prince William’s children also use the last name “Wales.” The little ones are known at their school, Lambrook, as George Wales, Charlotte Wales, and Louis Wales. Meanwhile, Meghan and Prince Harry’s children, Archie Harrison and Lilibet Diana, use the last name Mountbatten-Windsor. However, a last name isn’t as common for the Royals as for the common folk, so they probably don’t spend too much time thinking about it.
