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Undid revision 436678507 by Emerson 07 Philip does not determine heirs to the throne, only Elizabeth II does, so the word "agnatic" is incorrect for their issue
I know Philip doesn't have anything to do with the succession. The point is to separate the Queen from her descendants; she is a Wettin, while they are of Oldenburg. Agnatic descent is unbroken male-line descent.
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As of January 2011, two of these descendants are dead: [[Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon]], and [[Prince William of Gloucester]]. Seven are Roman Catholic (labelled "CA" in the table), and are thus excluded from the succession. The remaining 43 are in the line of succession:
As of January 2011, two of these descendants are dead: [[Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon]], and [[Prince William of Gloucester]]. Seven are Roman Catholic (labelled "CA" in the table), and are thus excluded from the succession. The remaining 43 are in the line of succession:
*{{colorbox|#FF4040}} Descendants of George V in male line.
*{{colorbox|#FF4040}} Descendants of George V in male line.
*{{colorbox|#4682B4}} Immediate descendants of Queen Elizabeth II and Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
*{{colorbox|#89CFF0}} Descendants of Queen Elizabeth II and Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, in male line.
*{{colorbox|#89CFF0}} Agnatic descendants of Queen Elizabeth II.
*{{colorbox|#FEFE33}} Other descendants of the House of Windsor.
*{{colorbox|#FEFE33}} Other descendants of the House of Windsor.


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| HRH [[Anne, Princess Royal|The Princess Royal]]<ref group=fn>Princess Anne is not 4th in line, as would be expected by her birth order, but 10th. This is a result of the rule of [[Male_primogeniture#Male-preference_primogeniture|male-preference primogeniture]] currently practiced by the British monarchy.</ref>
| HRH [[Anne, Princess Royal|The Princess Royal]]<ref group=fn>Princess Anne is not 4th in line, as would be expected by her birth order, but 10th. This is a result of the rule of [[Male_primogeniture#Male-preference_primogeniture|male-preference primogeniture]] currently practiced by the British monarchy.</ref>
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Revision as of 22:45, 28 June 2011

House of Windsor
Parent houseWettin → Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
CountryAntigua and Barbuda Antigua and Barbuda

Australia Australia
The Bahamas Bahamas
Barbados Barbados
Belize Belize
Canada Canada
Grenada Grenada
Jamaica Jamaica
New Zealand New Zealand
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea
Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Solomon Islands Solomon Islands
Tuvalu Tuvalu

United Kingdom United Kingdom
Founded1917
FounderGeorge V
TitlesVarious
Estate(s)United Kingdom, other Commonwealth realms

The House of Windsor is the current royal house of the Commonwealth realms. It was founded by King George V by royal proclamation on the 17 July 1917, when he changed the name of his family from the German Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to the English Windsor, due to the anti-German sentiment in the United Kingdom during World War I. Currently, the most prominent member of the House of Windsor is Elizabeth II, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms.

Foundation

"A Good Riddance". Propaganda cartoon from Punch, Vol. 152, 27 June 1917, commenting on the King having ordered the relinquishing of the German titles held by members of His Majesty's family

Edward VII, and, in turn, his son, George V were members of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, a German ducal family, by virtue of their descent from Albert, Prince Consort, husband of Queen Victoria. High anti-German sentiment amongst the people of the British Empire during World War I reached a peak in March 1917, when the Gotha G.IV, a heavy aircraft capable of crossing the English Channel began bombing London directly. The aircraft became a household name, and the name Gotha was part of the name of the royal family, Gotha-Saxe-Coburg. These bombings were coupled with the abdication of King George's first cousin, Nicholas II, the Tsar of Russia on 15 March 1917, which raised the spectre of the eventual abolition of all the monarchies in Europe. The King and his family were finally convinced to abandon all titles held under the German Crown, and to change German titles and house names to anglicised versions. Hence, on 17 July 1917, a royal proclamation issued by George V declared:

Now, therefore, We, out of Our Royal Will and Authority, do hereby declare and announce that as from the date of this Our Royal Proclamation Our House and Family shall be styled and known as the House and Family of Windsor, and that all the descendants in the male line of Our said Grandmother Queen Victoria who are subjects of these Realms, other than female descendants who may marry or may have married, shall bear the said Name of Windsor...[1]

Upon hearing that his cousin had changed the name of the British royal house to Windsor, German Emperor Wilhelm II remarked jokingly that he planned to see Shakespeare's play The Merry Wives of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.

The name had a long association with British royalty, through the town of Windsor, Berkshire and Windsor Castle, a link reflected in the Round Tower of Windsor Castle being the basis of the badge of the House of Windsor.

Also in 1917 Prince Louis of Battenberg adopted the surname Mountbatten, a partial translation into English. Prince Louis is the maternal grandfather of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. From 1917 to 1919, George V also stripped 15 of his German relations - most of whom belonged to the House of Hanover - of their British titles and styles of prince and princess.

Descendants of Elizabeth II

When Princess Elizabeth (as she then was) married Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, the standard practice would be to adopt the name of his royal house. Because he was a prince, Prince Philip did not have a surname but he was of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, a branch of the House of Oldenburg, and that ruled or rules as Kings of Greece, Denmark and Norway. Not wishing to repeat the difficulties of three decades previous, before his marriage Prince Philip renounced his titles and adopted the surname Mountbatten, the literal translation of the German Battenberg that his maternal grandfather had adopted in 1917. The Mountbatten/Battenberg name refers to Battenberg, a small town in Hesse.

On 9 April 1952, Queen Elizabeth II officially declared her "Will and Pleasure that I and My children shall be styled and known as the House and Family of Windsor, and that my descendants who marry and their descendants, shall bear the name of Windsor."[2] On 8 February 1960, the Queen confirmed that she and her children would continue to be known as the House and Family of Windsor, as would any agnatic descendants who enjoy the style of Royal Highness, and the title of Prince or Princess.[2] Still, Elizabeth also decreed that her agnatic descendants who do not have that style and title would bear the surname Mountbatten-Windsor.[2]

Any future monarch can change the dynastic name through a similar royal proclamation, as royal proclamations do not have statutory authority.[3]

Members

The 1917 proclamation stated that the name of the Royal House and all British descendants of Victoria and Albert in the male line were to bear the name of Windsor, except for women who married into other families.

By early 1919 the living male-line British descendants of Victoria subject to British rule were King George V, his five sons, his daughter Princess Mary, his unmarried sister Princess Victoria, his uncle Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, his cousin Prince Arthur of Connaught, his cousin once removed Prince Alastair of Connaught, and his unmarried cousin Princess Patricia of Connaught. Prince Alastair and Princess Victoria died unmarried and childless. Princess Mary married into the Lascelles family, and Princess Patricia married Alexander Ramsay of Mar. Neither of the Prince Arthurs had any further children, meaning all subsequent members of the House of Windsor descend from the sons of George V.

Two of George V's sons, Edward VIII (later Duke of Windsor) and Prince John, had no children, so the entire present day members of the House of Windsor are descendants of the other three sons, Prince Albert, Duke of York (later George VI), Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, and Prince George, Duke of Kent. All descendants living and dead are shown in the table.

As of January 2011, two of these descendants are dead: Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, and Prince William of Gloucester. Seven are Roman Catholic (labelled "CA" in the table), and are thus excluded from the succession. The remaining 43 are in the line of succession:

  •   Descendants of George V in male line.
  •   Descendants of Queen Elizabeth II and Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, in male line.
  •   Other descendants of the House of Windsor.
Generations from George V Place in the line of succession Name Birth (& Age) Image
Descendants of George VI
2 Sovereign HM Queen Elizabeth II (1926-04-21) 21 April 1926 (age 98)
3 1 HRH The Prince of Wales (1948-11-14) 14 November 1948 (age 75)
4 2 HRH The Duke of Cambridge (1982-06-21) 21 June 1982 (age 42)
4 3 HRH Prince Henry of Wales (1984-09-15) 15 September 1984 (age 39)
3 4 HRH The Duke of York (1960-02-19) 19 February 1960 (age 64)
4 5 HRH Princess Beatrice of York (1988-08-08) 8 August 1988 (age 36)
4 6 HRH Princess Eugenie of York (1990-03-23) 23 March 1990 (age 34)
3 7 HRH The Earl of Wessex (1964-03-10) 10 March 1964 (age 60)
4 8 Viscount Severn (2007-12-17) 17 December 2007 (age 16)
4 9 Lady Louise Windsor (2003-11-08) 8 November 2003 (age 20)
3 10 HRH The Princess Royal[fn 1] (1950-08-15) 15 August 1950 (age 74)
4 11 Mr Peter Phillips (1977-11-15) 15 November 1977 (age 46)
5 12 Miss Savannah Phillips (2010-12-29) 29 December 2010 (age 13)
4 13 Miss Zara Phillips (1981-05-15) 15 May 1981 (age 43)
2 Deceased HRH Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon (1930-08-21)21 August 1930
9 February 2002(2002-02-09) (aged 71)
3 14 Viscount Linley (1961-11-03) 3 November 1961 (age 62)
4 15 The Hon Charles Armstrong-Jones (1999-07-01) 1 July 1999 (age 25)
4 16 The Hon Margarita Armstrong-Jones (2002-05-14) 14 May 2002 (age 22)
3 17 Lady Sarah Chatto (1964-05-01) 1 May 1964 (age 60)
4 18 Master Samuel Chatto (1996-07-28) 28 July 1996 (age 28)
4 19 Master Arthur Chatto (1999-02-05) 5 February 1999 (age 25)
Descendants of Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester
2 Deceased HRH Prince William of Gloucester (1941-12-18)18 December 1941
28 August 1972(1972-08-28) (aged 30)
2 20 HRH The Duke of Gloucester (1944-08-26) 26 August 1944 (age 79)
3 21 Earl of Ulster (1974-10-24) 24 October 1974 (age 49)
4 22 Lord Culloden (2007-03-12) 12 March 2007 (age 17)
4 23 Lady Cosima Windsor (2010-05-20) 20 May 2010 (age 14)
3 24 Lady Davina Lewis (1977-11-19) 19 November 1977 (age 46)
4 25 Miss Senna Lewis (2010-06-30) 30 June 2010 (age 14)
3 26 Lady Rose Gilman (1980-03-01) 1 March 1980 (age 44)
4 27 Miss Lyla Gilman (2010-07-01) 1 July 2010 (age 14)
Descendants of Prince George, Duke of Kent
2 28 HRH The Duke of Kent (1935-10-09) 9 October 1935 (age 88)
3 CA Earl of St Andrews (1962-05-26) 26 May 1962 (age 62)
4 CA Lord Downpatrick (1988-12-02) 2 December 1988 (age 35)
4 CA Lady Marina Windsor (1992-09-30) 30 September 1992 (age 31)
4 29 Lady Amelia Windsor (1995-08-24) 24 August 1995 (age 28)
3 CA Lord Nicholas Windsor (1970-06-25) 25 June 1970 (age 54)
4 CA Master Albert Windsor (2007-09-22) 22 September 2007 (age 16)
4 CA Leopold Windsor (2009-09-08) 8 September 2009 (age 14)
3 30 Lady Helen Taylor (1964-04-28) 28 April 1964 (age 60)
4 31 Master Columbus Taylor (1994-08-06) 6 August 1994 (age 30)
4 32 Master Cassius Taylor (1996-12-26) 26 December 1996 (age 27)
4 33 Miss Eloise Taylor (2003-03-02) 2 March 2003 (age 21)
4 34 Miss Estella Taylor (2004-12-21) 21 December 2004 (age 19)
2 CA HRH Prince Michael of Kent (1942-07-04) 4 July 1942 (age 82)
3 35 Lord Frederick Windsor (1979-04-06) 6 April 1979 (age 45)
3 36 Lady Gabriella Windsor (1981-04-23) 23 April 1981 (age 43)
2 37 HRH Princess Alexandra, The Hon Lady Ogilvy (1936-12-25) 25 December 1936 (age 87)
3 38 Mr James Ogilvy (1964-02-29) 29 February 1964 (age 60)
4 39 Miss Flora Ogilvy (1994-12-15) 15 December 1994 (age 29)
4 40 Master Alexander Ogilvy (1996-11-12) 12 November 1996 (age 27)
3 41 Mrs Marina Ogilvy (1966-07-31) 31 July 1966 (age 58)
4 42 Mr Christian Mowatt (1993-06-04) 4 June 1993 (age 31)
4 43 Miss Zenouska Mowatt (1990-05-26) 26 May 1990 (age 34)

Titles

Designation and details

At the creation of the House of Windsor, its head reigned over a unitary British Empire. Following the end of the First World War, however, geo-political shifts took place that saw the emergence of the Dominions as sovereign states, the first step being the issuance of the Balfour Declaration in 1926, followed by the Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act the next year, and the Statute of Westminster in 1931. From then on, the House of Windsor became the royal house of multiple countries, a number that shifted over the decades, as some Dominions became republics and Crown colonies became realms, republics or monarchies under a different sovereign. Since 1949, two monarchs of the House of Windsor, George VI and Elizabeth II, have also been Head of the Commonwealth of Nations, comprising most (but not all) parts of the former British Empire and some states that were never part of it.

In the chart below, the countries are differentiated between light green (realms of the House of Windsor as dominions), medium green (present realms of the House of Windsor), and dark green (former realms of the House of Windsor).

1920 1925 1930 1935 1940 1945 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010
Antigua and Barbuda
Australia
The Bahamas
Barbados
Belize
Canada
Ceylon
Fiji
The Gambia
Ghana
Grenada
Guyana
Indian Empire
Union of India
Irish Free State
Jamaica
Kenya
Malawi
Malta
Mauritius
Newfoundland
New Zealand
Nigeria
Pakistan
Papua New Guinea
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
St Vincent and the Grenadines
Sierra Leone
Solomon Islands
South Africa
Tanganyika
Trinidad and Tobago
Tuvalu
Uganda
United Kingdom
1920 1925 1930 1935 1940 1945 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

List of Commonwealth realms monarchs

Portrait Name From Until Relationship with predecessor
King Edward VII 22 January 1901 6 May 1910 son of Queen Victoria and Albert, Prince Consort
King George V 6 May 1910 20 January 1936 son of Edward VII. Founder, House of Windsor.
King Edward VIII 20 January 1936 11 December 1936 son of George V; Abdicated
King George VI 11 December 1936 6 February 1952 son of George V & brother of abdicated Edward VIII
Queen Elizabeth II 6 February 1952 reigning daughter of George VI

Timeline of Monarchs

Elizabeth II of the United KingdomGeorge VI of the United KingdomEdward VIII of the United KingdomGeorge V of the United Kingdom

Further reading

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Princess Anne is not 4th in line, as would be expected by her birth order, but 10th. This is a result of the rule of male-preference primogeniture currently practiced by the British monarchy.

References

  1. ^ "No. 30186". The London Gazette. 17 July 1917.
  2. ^ a b c Royal Styles and Titles – 1960 Letters Patent
  3. ^ The Royal Family name, Royal Household, retrieved 15 February 2011
*Royal House*
House of Windsor
Cadet branch of the House of Wettin
Preceded by Ruling House of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms.
1917–present 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=House_of_Windsor&oldid=436753977"