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    The Windsor Dynasty

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    anon-688397
    The document discusses the history and origins of the British royal family's use of the surname "Windsor". It explains that prior to World War I, the royal family was known as the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, but this German-sounding name was problematic during the war. In 1917, King George V decreed that the royal family would henceforth be known as the House of Windsor. The document also provides background on royal residences and the line of succession to the British throne.

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    The Windsor Dynasty

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    anon-688397
    4K views3 pages
    The document discusses the history and origins of the British royal family's use of the surname "Windsor". It explains that prior to World War I, the royal family was known as the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, but this German-sounding name was problematic during the war. In 1917, King George V decreed that the royal family would henceforth be known as the House of Windsor. The document also provides background on royal residences and the line of succession to the British throne.

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    The document discusses the history and origins of the British royal family's use of the surname "Windsor". It explains that prior to World War I, the royal family was known as the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, but this German-sounding name was problematic during the war. In 1917, King George V decreed that the royal family would henceforth be known as the House of Windsor. The document also provides background on royal residences and the line of succession to the British throne.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as doc, pdf, or txt
    4K views3 pages

    The Windsor Dynasty

    Uploaded by

    anon-688397
    The document discusses the history and origins of the British royal family's use of the surname "Windsor". It explains that prior to World War I, the royal family was known as the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, but this German-sounding name was problematic during the war. In 1917, King George V decreed that the royal family would henceforth be known as the House of Windsor. The document also provides background on royal residences and the line of succession to the British throne.

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    The Windsor Dynasty

    King George V
    Reigned 1910-1936

    King Edward VIII


    Reigned January-December 1936
    Abdicated. Never crowned.

    King George VI
    Reigned 1936-1952

    Queen Elizabeth II
    Reigned 1952-Present

    Reigned Before the Windsors:


    King Edward VII (reigned 1901-1910)
    (Saxe-Coburg-Gotha Dynasty)

    The Hanoverians (reigned 1714-1901)

    Full List of English Royal Dynasties:


    British Royal History

    About the Name Windsor

    The royal family has little use for last names - after all, everyone knows
    who they are. Princess Diana did not take back her maiden name,
    Spencer, after her divorce; she continued to be known simply as "Diana."
    The Queen signs official documents "Elizabeth R." The R stands for Regina,
    which means "queen." (Regina is not one of her given names; she was
    baptised Elizabeth Alexandra Mary.)

    But the royal family does have a last name, and they do use it from time
    to time. This wasn't always the case. Queen Victoria's husband, Prince
    Albert, was a member of the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, so her
    descendants were part of that dynasty. This, however, was not the family's
    last name. They didn't have one, because they didn't need one, so they
    didn't worry about it. Experts later worried about it for them and decided
    their name was probably "Witten" (or maybe even Wipper).

    The royal family's official name, or lack thereof, became a problem during
    World War I, when people began to mutter that Saxe-Coburg-Gotha
    sounded far too German. King George V and his family needed a new,
    English-sounding name. After considering everything from Plantagenet to
    Tudor-Stuart to simply England, the king and his advisors chose the name
    Windsor.

    To this day, the British royal family is known as the House of Windsor.
    When Princess Elizabeth (the current queen) served as a subaltern in the
    Auxiliary Territorial Service during World War II, she was called "Elizabeth
    Windsor." Elizabeth married Prince Philip of Greece, whose family name
    was Mountbatten, and eventually she decreed that most of her
    descendants would be called Mountbatten-Windsor. Princess Anne used
    this name in 1973 when she married Captain Mark Phillips.

    However, according to statements made by the queen, it appears that


    Windsor is still the official family name for any British royal who is styled
    "Royal Highness." The queen's youngest son, Prince Edward, the Earl of
    Wessex, has used the name Edward Windsor professionally. His wife, the
    Countess of Wessex, has been known professionally as Sophie Wessex.

    The Order of Succession

    The queen has given her approval for Parliament to consider a law that
    would give royal daughters the right to inherit the throne before their
    younger brothers. Under current law, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward
    (and their children) rank ahead of their older sister, Princess Anne, in the
    line of sucession. If the law changes, Anne will be fourth in line to the
    throne. Prince Charles, as the queen's eldest child, will remain heir to the
    throne.

    The current order of succession

    Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales


    Prince William
    Prince Harry
    Prince Andrew, Duke of York
    Princess Beatrice
    Princess Eugenie
    Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex
    James Windsor, Viscount Severn
    Lady Louise Windsor
    Princess Anne, the Princess Royal
    Peter Phillips
    Zara Phillips

    Catholics and the Act of Settlement

    The 1701 Act of Settlement made it illegal for a Roman Catholic, or


    anyone married to a Roman Catholic, to inherit the throne. (Note: It has
    been rumored that Prince Charles's second wife, the Duchess of Cornwall,
    is Catholic, but this is not true.)
    Royal Palaces

    The royal family uses, but does not own, Buckingham Palace, Kensington
    Palace, St James's Palace, Hampton Court, Windsor Castle and other
    residences. Balmoral and Sandringham are the queen's personal property.

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