Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are about to welcome their first child into the world, and there’s plenty of speculation about every single detail. Where will Meghan give birth? Who are the godparents going to be? Will they have a nanny? What will the nursery look like?
So. Many. Questions. But there’s one in particular that has everybody racking their brains: What the heck will their kid's last name be? Even though no one knows for sure yet, there’s definitely some traditions and patterns that can lead to one conclusion. Here’s a quick breakdown:
Does the Royal Family even have a last name?
Sort of. According to the official royal site, “members of the Royal Family can be known both by the name of the Royal house and by a surname, which are not always the same. And often they do not use a surname at all."
So although most of the Royals do have last names, anyone with the title “His/Her Royal Highness” isn’t required to have one.
Okay, so what is their last name?
Back in 1917, George V created a last name for the Royal Family by declaring himself—and all male descendants of Queen Victoria henceforth —a “Windsor.” But if you’re a fan of The Crown (which you definitely should be), you’ll remember that Queen Elizabeth decided to give her children the last name “Mountbatten-Windsor” so that her husband Prince Philip’s last name could be included too. If you believe the show, that caused some ~drama~.
Will the royal children have the same name?
Theoretically, the children would have that last name, right? Not so! Both William and Harry have used a different last name in the past. When the boys were going through school, they used the names William Wales and Harry Wales because their father Charles is the Prince of Wales. They used their dad’s territorial title instead of their last name.
When Prince George started school back in September, William and Kate decided to have him go by George Cambridge. This follows the same pattern because Will and Kate are, as you know, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. So...
That means that if Meghan and Harry follow this same idea, any kids they have will go by Sussex, because Meghan and Harry are the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Again, this isn’t confirmed by anyone, but you know how the royal family loves their traditions!
Emma Baty is the Senior Entertainment Editor at Cosmopolitan, where she shapes TV, movie and music coverage, writes celebrity profiles, edits stories across both print and digital, and generally obsesses over all things pop culture. Prior to this role, she worked as Cosmopolitan.com’s News Writer, writing celebrity news stories daily and covering live events like the Oscars. Originally from Grand Haven, Michigan, she currently lives in Brooklyn.
