Queen Elizabeth just quietly changed Andrew’s name from beyond the grave

Two weeks after he was stripped of his title as a prince, Andrew's name has changed yet again, and it's all because of his late mother Queen Elizabeth II.

Yes, it turned out after the royal family announced that the former Duke of York would be stripped of his titles and honours, they ignored a 65-year-old rule.

Buckingham Palace's statement on 30 October read: "His Majesty has today initiated a formal process to remove the Style, Titles and Honours of Prince Andrew.

"Prince Andrew will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. His lease on Royal Lodge has, to date, provided him with legal protection to continue in residence. Formal notice has now been served to surrender the lease and he will move to alternative private accommodation. These censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him.

"Their Majesties wish to make clear that their thoughts and utmost sympathies have been, and will remain with, the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse."

The late Queen Elizabeth II subtly changed her son Andrew's name years after her passing in 2022 (Max Mumby/Indigo / Contributor / Getty Images)

The removal process was completed last week (6 November), but officials at Buckingham Palace have since examined a rule decided upon by Queen Elizabeth called the 1960 Privy Council Declaration and made a further tweak to Andrew's name.

As you can see, Andrew's surname was missing the hyphen when his new name was initially announced following new allegations surrounding his relationship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

This is despite the privy council declaration saying Royals without titles would be known as Mountbatten-Windsor, with a hyphen.

When asked about the absence of a hyphen at the time, a palace spokesperson said: "Andrew Mountbatten Windsor was the name agreed."

But royal sources have now confirmed that, going forward, Andrew will use the punctuation mark between his two last names, making it Mountbatten-Windsor, not Mountbatten Windsor.

Royal sources have confirmed that Andrew will use a hyphen between his two last names, making it Mountbatten-Windsor (Anwar Hussein / Contributor / Getty Images)

The official declaration made 8 February 1960, which was a little over a week before Andrew’s arrival on 19 February 1960, read: "Now therefore I declare My Will and Pleasure that, while I and My children shall continue to be styled and known as the House and Family of Windsor.

"My descendants other than descendants enjoying the style, title or attribute of Royal Highness and the titular dignity of Prince or Princess and female descendants who marry and their descendants shall bear the name of Mountbatten-Windsor."

The royal moniker was created to incorporate Philip Mountbatten's surname into the Windsor line, symbolically reflecting the Queen's marriage and the continuing link between her family and her husband's.