Prince Archie and Lilibet's 'unifying' change leaves Lady Louise alone with special honour

Prince Archie and Lilibet’s “unifying” change could mean Lady Louise is now the only one left with a special honour.

Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet haven’t been glimpsed in public or in new royal photos for quite some time now but it’s been claimed that a major change was made for them in private last year. Ahead of King Charles’s coronation, an update to the royal line of succession page on the Royal Family’s website confirmed that they had started using Prince and Princess titles which they were entitled to as the grandchildren of the reigning monarch. 

Now it’s been reported that ever since the coronation Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet have allegedly also been using the surname Sussex instead of Mountbatten-Windsor, which they were given by Prince Harry and Meghan when they were born. 

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Following the re-branding of Prince Harry and Meghan’s Archewell website to Sussex.com, a source claimed to The Times that the family have apparently had and used the same surname for many months at this point. 

“The reality behind the new site is very simple - it’s a hub for the work the Sussexes do and it reflects the fact the family have, since the King’s coronation, the same surname for the first time,” they alleged. “That’s a big deal for any family. It represents their unification and it’s a proud moment.”

Prince Archie and Lilibet’s “unifying” change is in-keeping with the naming of their cousins Prince George, Charlotte and Louis. They are understood to have previously used the surname Cambridge and now use Wales in line with Prince William and Kate’s being Prince and Princess of Wales. However, the alleged change also means that Lady Louise Windsor is now the only one using the Mountatten-Windsor name.

As revealed in the royal line of succession, she’s officially Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor. This double-barrelled surname is also shared by her brother James, but as Earl of Wessex a surname isn’t typically used. The incorporation of the name Mountbatten into the Royal Family’s surname was something that was apparently hugely important to the late Prince Philip.

It was the surname of Prince Philip’s grandfather and according to the BBC, Prince Philip wasn’t thrilled when it was initially decided that Queen Elizabeth’s surname Windsor would be the surname of their family members.

“I am the only man in the country not allowed to give his name to his children! I'm nothing but a bloody amoeba!” he supposedly declared.

Eventually in 1960 it was determined that Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth’s descendants who didn’t have a Prince or Princess title or HRH style could use Mountbatten-Windsor as a surname. It likely meant a lot to him that Lady Louise and her brother were given it, however all these years later it seems like she’s the only one who probably has the honour of using this name. She and Prince Philip were incredibly close and her full surname is a lovely nod to him. 

If the report is correct, then it does mean that there is lovely “unification” for the Sussex family with their surname. It’s also been suggested that the move to make Sussex.com is also a way to include both of their children, whilst Archewell was inspired by Prince Archie’s name.