The two names we KNOW Meghan and Harry’s baby will have

Harry and Meghan’s incoming royal baby will have TWO different surnames they can use.

View this post on Instagram

???? The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are marking #CommonwealthDay by celebrating the diverse community of Canadians living around the UK. Le duc et la duchesse de Sussex marquent la #JournéeduCommonwealth en célébrant les diverses communautés de Canadiens habitant le R.-U. ? PA/Kensington Palace

A post shared by Kensington Palace (@kensingtonroyal) on Mar 11, 2019 at 6:44am PDT

All of the last names!

If we’re talking royals surnames, it seems that they’re a little more flexible, bountiful and geographical than for non-royal folk. Let us take you through it …

So Queen Elizabeth gave her kids – Charles, Anne, Andrew and Edward – the last name Mountbatten-Windsor. Shortly before their marriage, the Queen’s husband-to-be Prince Philip took the name Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten. The Mountbatten bit was the surname of  Philip’s mother’s family.

The Windsor bit refers to The House of Windsor which is the current reigning royal house. So that’s the Queen’s surname sorted.

---

  Read more about the royal family:

• “I can do a ponytail, that’s about it” Prince William talks Charlotte’s hair
• The Palace steps in to stop the future trolling of Meghan and Harry’s newborn
• This is the convertible cot Duchess Meghan’s friends gifted her in New York
• Dad-to-be Prince Harry cutely jokes and canoodles with a very pregnant Meghan

---

Why stop at one?

Next up Charles and Diana used the surname Wales for their children – because Charles is Prince of Wales. So we’ve got Harry and William Wales. Are you following?

That said, William has also used the name William Mountbatten-Windsor so it appears that you can chop and change if you’re directly in line for the crown – or quite close to being so.

Confusing, right?

View this post on Instagram

On #CommonwealthDay The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and The Duke and Duchess of Sussex joined The Queen and Members of the @TheRoyalFamily for the Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey. The theme of this year’s service was ‘A Connected Commonwealth’. The Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, sent a Commonwealth Day message in which HM highlighted how people around the world are drawn together because of the collective values shared by the Commonwealth. ?PA

A post shared by Kensington Palace (@kensingtonroyal) on Mar 11, 2019 at 11:28am PDT

Cambridge, Wales, Sussex, Mountbatten-Windsor

Then William, who was the first brother to become a dad, had babies with Kate. They go by the surname Cambridge – George Cambridge, Charlotte Cambridge and Louis Cambridge – because Will and Kate are the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. That said, they can also use the surname Mountbatten-Windsor, but it’s thought that the shorter Cambridge may be used for brevity.

View this post on Instagram

The Duchess of Sussex has become Vice-President of The @Queens_Commonwealth_Trust, of which Her Majesty The Queen is Patron, and The Duke of Sussex is President. On International Women’s Day The Duchess joined a special panel discussion of female thought-leaders and activists to discuss a range of issues affecting women today, convened by The Queen’s Commonwealth Trust. #InternationalWomensDay #IWD2019 #QCT #QCTxIWD

A post shared by Kensington Palace (@kensingtonroyal) on Mar 8, 2019 at 5:57am PST

And then we come to the about to be first-time parents Harry (Wales) and wife Meghan. They are the Duke and Duchess of Sussex so it’s almost certain that they’ll follow William and Kate’s example and use the Sussex surname for their bub when it comes to nursery and school enrolment. Officially though, Mountbatten-Windsor will be a more formal alternative.

Also? When William becomes King someday, he will be able to make his own rules about royal surnames. (As could Prince Charles if he takes the throne when his mum the Queen dies.)

So there you go. Meg and Haz’s baby will have the surnames Sussex AND Mountbatten-Windsor!