Princess Anne’s history-making moment that would’ve made Prince Philip proud

Princess Anne’s history-making moment back might not be known to everyone but it likely made her late father Prince Philip very proud.  

• The Princess Royal signed the Westminster Abbey wedding register with the surname Mountbatten-Windsor when she married Captain Mark Phillips. 
• This marked the first time the name had appeared on an official document after a declaration that likely pleased Prince Philip in 1960.
• This royal news comes as we revealed the boozy royal dessert King Charles and Queen Camilla enjoyed last night.  

As one of the hardest-working royals the Princess Royal has continued to showcase her unwavering dedication since King Charles ascended the throne. From Princess Anne’s prestigious role restored to her to undertaking plenty of recent UK and overseas visits, her schedule and remit are as full as ever. Though it was during one of her off-duty moments that she once marked a historic milestone. Princess Anne’s history-making moment came in 1973 as she tied the knot with her first husband Captain Mark Phillips in a ceremony watched on TV by approximately 500 million.

Just like at her nephew Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding 38 years later, the Princess Royal got married at Westminster Abbey. And the surname she used when she signed the marriage register was incredibly significant- particularly for her father. 

According to the Royal Family website (opens in new tab), she signed it with the surname Mountbatten-Windsor. Although this might not sound important, this marked the first time where this particular name appeared on an official document. The surname Mountbatten comes from the Battenberg family and was the surname of the late Prince Philip.

His marriage to Queen Elizabeth marked the union of the Mountbatten and Windsor families. However, when she became monarch in 1952, it was her name of Windsor that was confirmed as the Royal Family surname. 

As revealed by the BBC (opens in new tab), Prince Philip was reportedly not particularly thrilled by this decision and allegedly declared, “I am the only man in the country not allowed to give his name to his children! I'm nothing but a bloody amoeba!"

A compromise was eventually reached in 1960 when it was determined in a declaration that the Queen’s descendants who didn’t hold the title of Prince or Princess or an HRH style could use the surname Mountbatten-Windsor. Given the Duke of Edinburgh’s supposed eagerness to pass his own surname on to his and the Queen’s children, Princess Anne’s history-making moment was perhaps very special to him. 

Not only did she use this surname Mountbatten-Windsor but she was also the one who set it down in print on an official document for the first time. Today the most famous members of the immediate and extended Royal Family to have the surname Mountbatten-Windsor are Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s children Archie and Lilibet.  

Lady Louise Windsor’s full name is technically Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor too. But whilst Princess Anne made history when she used the surname officially on her first wedding day as the Princess Royal and someone with an HRH title it’s not a name she uses regularly. She is understood to have had a close relationship with Prince Philip and in her statement following his death in 2021, she remarked upon his extraordinary "example".  

"My father has been my teacher, my supporter and my critic, but mostly it is his example of a life well lived and service freely given that I most wanted to emulate," she declared.