House of Windsor - wikipedia House of Windsor House of Windsor Parent house Wettin → Saxe - Coburg and Gotha Country United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms Founded 17 July 1917 ; 101 years ago ( 1917 - 07 - 17 ) Founder George V Current head Elizabeth II The House of Windsor is the reigning royal house of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms. The dynasty is of German paternal descent and was originally a branch of the House of Saxe - Coburg and Gotha, itself derived from the House of Wettin, which succeeded the House of Hanover to the British monarchy following the death of Queen Victoria, wife of Albert, Prince Consort. The name was changed from Saxe - Coburg and Gotha to the English Windsor ( from `` Windsor Castle '' ) in 1917 because of anti-German sentiment in the British Empire during World War I. There have been four British monarchs of the house of Windsor to date : three kings and the present queen, Elizabeth II. During the reign of the Windsors, major changes took place in British society. The British Empire participated in the First and Second World Wars, ending up on the winning side both times, but subsequently lost its status as a superpower during decolonisation. Much of Ireland broke with the United Kingdom and the remnants of the Empire became the Commonwealth of Nations. The current head of the house is monarch of sixteen sovereign states. These are the United Kingdom ( where they are based ), Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize, Antigua and Barbuda, and Saint Kitts and Nevis. As well as these separate monarchies, there are also three Crown dependencies, fourteen British Overseas Territories and two associated states of New Zealand. Contents 1 Background 2 List of monarchs 3 Members 3.1 Descendants of Elizabeth II 3.2 Family tree 4 Realms of the House of Windsor 5 See also 6 Notes 6.1 Footnotes 6.2 References 7 Bibliography 8 External links Background `` A Good Riddance '' ; cartoon from Punch, Vol. 152, 27 June 1917, commenting on the King 's order to relinquish all German titles held by members of his family Edward VII and, in turn, his son, George V, were members of the German ducal House of Saxe - Coburg and Gotha by virtue of their descent from Albert, Prince Consort, husband of Queen Victoria, the last British monarch from the House of Hanover. 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 and became a household name. In the same year, on 15 March, King George 's first cousin, Nicholas II, the Emperor of Russia, was forced to abdicate, 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... The name had a long association with monarchy in Britain, through the town of Windsor, Berkshire, and Windsor Castle ; the link is alluded to in the Round Tower of Windsor Castle being the basis of the badge of the House of Windsor. Upon hearing that his cousin had changed the name of the British royal house to Windsor and in reference to Shakespeare 's The Merry Wives of Windsor, German Emperor Wilhelm II remarked jokingly that he planned to see `` The Merry Wives of Saxe - Coburg - Gotha ''. George V also restricted the use of British princely titles to his nearest relations, and in 1919, he stripped 3 of his German relations of their British titles and styles. List of monarchs See also : List of British monarchs Portrait Name From Until Relationship with predecessor George V 6 May 1910 20 January 1936 Son of Edward VII Edward VIII 20 January 1936 11 December 1936 Son of George V George VI 11 December 1936 6 February 1952 Brother of Edward VIII Elizabeth II 6 February 1952 reigning Daughter of George VI Members Members of the House of Windsor on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, 15 June 2013. Left to right : Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester ; Lady Rose Gilman ; Prince Michael of Kent ; Princess Michael of Kent ; Lady Louise Windsor ; Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex ; James, Viscount Severn ; Sophie, Countess of Wessex ; Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall ; Prince Charles, Prince of Wales ; Queen Elizabeth II ; Princess Anne, Princess Royal ; Prince Andrew, Duke of York ; Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex ; Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge ; Prince William, Duke of Cambridge ; Princess Eugenie of York ; Princess Beatrice of York ; Prince Edward, Duke of Kent ; Katharine, Duchess of Kent See also : List of members of the House of Windsor 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. 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. Descendants of Elizabeth II Succession to the British throne -- family tree ( 2015 ) In 1947, Princess Elizabeth ( now Queen Elizabeth II ), heiress presumptive to King George VI, married Philip Mountbatten. He was a member of the House of Schleswig - Holstein - Sonderburg - Glücksburg, a branch of the House of Oldenburg, and had been a prince of Greece and Denmark. However, Philip, a few months before his marriage, abandoned his princely titles and adopted the surname Mountbatten, which was that of his uncle and mentor, the Earl Mountbatten of Burma, and had itself been adopted by Lord Mountbatten 's father ( Philip 's maternal grandfather ), Prince Louis of Battenberg, in 1917. It is the literal translation of the German battenberg, which refers to Battenberg, a small town in Hesse. Soon after Elizabeth became Queen in 1952, Lord Mountbatten observed that because it was the standard practice for the wife in a marriage to adopt her husband 's surname, the royal house had become the House of Mountbatten. When Elizabeth 's grandmother, Queen Mary, heard of this comment, she informed British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and he later advised the Queen to issue a royal proclamation declaring that the royal house was to remain known as the House of Windsor. This she did on 9 April 1952, officially declaring it 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, other than female descendants who marry and their descendants, shall bear the name of Windsor. '' Philip privately complained, `` I am nothing but a bloody amoeba. I am the only man in the country not allowed to give his name to his own children. '' On 8 February 1960, after the death of Queen Mary and the resignation of Churchill, 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. Still, Elizabeth also decreed that her agnatic descendants who do not have that style and title would bear the surname Mountbatten - Windsor. This came after some months of correspondence between the Prime Minister Harold Macmillan and the constitutional expert Edward Iwi. Iwi had raised the prospect that the Royal child due to be born in February 1960 would bear `` the Badge of Bastardy '' if it were given its mother 's maiden name ( Windsor ) rather than its father 's name ( Mountbatten ). Macmillan had attempted to rebuff Iwi, until the Queen advised the acting Prime Minister Rab Butler in January 1960 that for some time she had had her heart set on a change that would recognise the name Mountbatten. She clearly wished to make this change before the birth of her child. The issue did not affect Prince Charles or Princess Anne, as they had been born with the name Mountbatten, before the Queen 's accession to the throne. Prince Andrew was born 11 days later, on 19 February 1960. Any future monarch can change the dynastic name through a similar royal proclamation, as royal proclamations do not have statutory authority. Family tree See also : Windsor British monarchs ' family tree show Family tree King George V Queen Mary King Edward VIII King George VI Queen Elizabeth Princess Mary, Princess Royal, Countess of Harewood Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester Prince George, Duke of Kent Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent Prince John Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Queen Elizabeth II Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon Prince William of Gloucester Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester Prince Edward, Duke of Kent Katharine, Duchess of Kent Princess Alexandra, The Hon Lady Ogilvy Prince Michael of Kent Princess Michael of Kent Diana, Princess of Wales ( div. 1996 ) Prince Charles, Prince of Wales Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall Princess Anne, Princess Royal Prince Andrew, Duke of York Sarah, Duchess of York ( div. 1996 ) Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex Sophie, Countess of Wessex Prince William, Duke of Cambridge Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex Meghan, Duchess of Sussex Princess Beatrice of York Princess Eugenie of York Lady Louise Windsor James, Viscount Severn Prince George of Cambridge Princess Charlotte of Cambridge Prince Louis of Cambridge Realms of the House of Windsor At the creation of the House of Windsor, its head reigned over the British Empire. Following the end of the First World War, however, shifts took place that saw the emergence of the Dominions of the British Commonwealth as independent sovereign states. The shift was recognised in the Balfour Declaration of 1926, the Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act 1927, and the Statute of Westminster 1931. The Windsors became recognised as the royal family of multiple independent 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 ( Dominions ), medium green ( present realms ), and dark green ( former realms ). 1930 1935 1940 1945 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2015 Antigua and Barbuda Australia The Bahamas Barbados Belize Canada Ceylon Fiji The Gambia Ghana Grenada Guyana India Irish Free State / Ireland Jamaica Kenya Malawi Malta Mauritius 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 1930 1935 1940 1945 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2015 See also British prince British princess Canadian Royal Family Succession to the British throne List of descendants of George V Notes Footnotes Jump up ^ House of Saxe - Coburg and Gotha until 17 July 1917 ; House of Windsor from 17 July 1917. Jump up ^ After his abdication in 1936, King Edward VIII became the Duke of Windsor. Jump up ^ In 1936, virtually all of the functions of the monarch in the Irish Free State were removed, although the monarch was empowered to sign treaties and accredit diplomats when authorised to do so ( see Executive Authority ( External Relations ) Act 1936 ). In 1937, a new constitution created the office of President of Ireland to perform many of the functions of a head of state. In 1949, the Republic of Ireland Act 1948 unambiguously severed links with the monarchy. In 1952, Elizabeth II was the first head of the House of Windsor who did not refer to Ireland ( but instead to just Northern Ireland ) in her regal style. References Jump up ^ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-4252686/How-House-Windsor-born.html Jump up ^ McGuigan, Jim ( 2001 ). `` British identity and ' people 's princess ' ''. The Sociological Review. 48 ( 1 ). doi : 10.1111 / 1467 - 954X. 00200. Retrieved 7 June 2013. Jump up ^ `` No. 30186 ''. The London Gazette. 17 July 1917. p. 7119. Jump up ^ Carter, Miranda ( 2010 ), George, Nicholas and Wilhelm : Three Royal Cousins and the Road to World War I, Random House, p. xxiii, ISBN 9780307593023 Jump up ^ `` Styles of the members of the British royal family : Documents ''. Heraldica. 30 November 1917. Jump up ^ `` At the Court at Buckingham Palace, the 28th day of March, 1919 ''. London Gazette. His Majesty 's Stationery Office. 28 March 1919. pp. Issue 31255, Page 4000. Retrieved 28 November 2011. ^ Jump up to : Royal Styles and Titles -- 1960 Letters Patent Archived 23 April 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ Brandreth, Gyles ( 2004 ). Philip and Elizabeth : Portrait of a Marriage. p. 253 -- 254. London : Century. ISBN 0 - 7126 - 6103 - 4 Jump up ^ Travis, Alan ( 18 February 1999 ). `` Queen feared ' slur ' on family '', The Guardian Archived 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine... Retrieved 17 April 2014 Jump up ^ The Royal Family name Archived 30 May 2016 at the Wayback Machine., Royal Household, retrieved 24 April 2016 Bibliography Longford, Elizabeth Harman ( Countess of Longford ). The Royal House of Windsor. Revised ed. Crown, 1984. Roberts, Andrew. The House of Windsor. University of California Press, 2000. External links Royal Family name from royal.uk House of Windsor from royal.uk House of Windsor Tree from royal.gov.uk ( Lord Culloden & Albert + Leopold Windsor are missing ) Royal House House of Windsor Preceded by House of Saxe - Coburg and Gotha ( Renamed House of Windsor by Royal Proclamation of 17 July 1917 ) Ruling House of the United Kingdom 1917 -- present Incumbent Royal houses of Europe Nordic countries Denmark Knýtlinga Fairhair Estridsen Griffins Palatinate - Neumarkt Oldenburg Schleswig - Holstein - Sonderburg - Glücksburg Finland Bjelbo Mecklenburg Griffins Palatinate - Neumarkt Bonde Oldenburg Vasa Palatinate - Zweibrücken Hesse Holstein - Gottorp Romanov Norway Fairhair Knýtlinga Hardrada Gille Sverre Bjelbo Estridsen Griffins Palatinate - Neumarkt Bonde Oldenburg Holstein - Gottorp Bernadotte Schleswig - Holstein - Sonderburg - Glücksburg Sweden Munsö Stenkil Sverker Eric Bjelbo Estridsen Mecklenburg Griffins Palatinate - Neumarkt Bonde Oldenburg Vasa Palatinate - Zweibrücken Hesse - Kassel Holstein - Gottorp Bernadotte Iceland Fairhair Bjelbo Estridsen Griffins Palatinate - Neumarkt Bonde Oldenburg Schleswig - Holstein - Sonderburg - Glücksburg Britain and Ireland England Mercia Wuffing Kent Sussex Essex Bernicia Deira Northumbria Uí Ímair Wessex Knýtlinga Normandy Angevin Plantagenet Lancaster York Tudor Scotland Fergus Óengus Strathclyde Mann and the Isles Alpin Northumbria Bernicia Uí Ímair Galloway Dunkeld Sverre Balliol Bruce Stuart Wales Dinefwr Aberffraw Gwynedd Mathrafal Cunedda Tudor Ireland Ulaid Dál Riata Érainn Corcu Loígde Laigin Connachta Uí Néill Ó Gallchobhair Ó Domhnail Ó Néill Ó Máel Sechlainn Mac Murchada Ó Briain Mac Lochlainn Ó Conchobhair Gaelic Ireland Laigin Síl Conairi Ulaid Dáirine Osraige Cruthin Dál nAraidi Connachta Uí Fiachrach Uí Briúin Uí Néill Síl nÁedo Sláine Clann Cholmáin Eóganachta Chaisil Glendamnach Raithlind Uí Dúnlainge Uí Ímair ( Norse ) Uí Ceinnselaig Dál gCais Ó Briain Mac Carthaig Ó Conchobhair Ó Ruairc De Burgh ( Norman ) FitzGerald ( Norman ) Ó Domhnaill Ó Néill Great Britain Stuart Orange - Nassau Hanover Saxe - Coburg and Gotha Windsor Eastern Europe Albania Angevin Progon Arianiti Thopia Kastrioti Dukagjini Muzaka family Wied Zogu Savoy Armenia Orontid Artaxiad Arsacid Bagratid Artsruni Rubenids Hethumids Lusignan Savoy Bosnia Boričević Kulinić Kotromanić Kosača Ottoman Habsburg - Lorraine Bulgaria Dulo Krum Cometopuli Asen Smilets Terter Shishman Sratsimir Battenberg Saxe - Coburg and Gotha Croatia Trpimirović Domagojević Svačić Ottoman Luxembourg Habsburg Habsburg - Lorraine Bonaparte Savoy ( disputed ) Cyprus Plantagenet Lusignan Ottoman Savoy Georgia Pharnavazid Artaxiad Arsacid Ottoman Chosroid Bagrationi Greece Argead Antipatrid Antigonid Macedonian Doukas Komnenos Angelos Laskaris Palaiologos Ottoman Wittelsbach Schleswig - Holstein - Sonderburg - Glücksburg Lithuania Mindaugas Gediminids Jagiellon Valois Báthory Vasa Wiśniowiecki Sobieski Wettin Leszczyński Poniatowski Holstein - Gottorp - Romanov Moldavia Dragoș ( Drăgoșești ) Rossetti Bogdan - Muşat Movilești Drăculeşti Ghica Cantacuzene Cantemirești Racoviță Mavrocordato Ypsilantis Soutzos Mourousi Hohenzollern - Sigmaringen Basarab Montenegro Vojislavljević Balšić Crnojević Petrović - Njegoš Romania House of Basarab Rossetti Bogdan - Mușat Movilești Drăculești Ghica Cantacuzene Cantemirești Romanov Racoviță Ottoman Mavrocordato Ypsilantis Soutzos Mourousi Hohenzollern - Sigmaringen Romania / Royal family Russia Rurik Borjigin Godunov Shuysky Vasa Romanov Serbia Vlastimirović Vukanović Nemanjić Lazarević Mrnjavčević Dejanović Branković Ottoman Obrenović Karađorđević Turkey Ottoman Ukraine Rurikids Piast Gediminids Olshanski Olelkovich Giray Romanov Habsburg - Lorraine Transcontinental country. Entirely in Southwest Asia but having socio - political connections with Europe. Western Europe Belgium Saxe - Coburg and Gotha France Merovingian Carolingian Capet Valois Bourbon Bonaparte Orléans Italy Aleramici Anjou Appiani Barcelona Bonaparte Bourbon - Parma Bourbon - Two Sicilies Carolingian Della Rovere Este Farnese Flavian Gonzaga Grimaldi Habsburg Hauteville Hohenstaufen Julio - Claudian Malatesta Malaspina Medici Montefeltro Murat Nerva -- Antonine Ordelaffi Orsini Palaiologos Pallavicini Savoy Severan Sforza Trastámara Valois Visconti Luxembourg Orange - Nassau Nassau - Weilburg Bourbon - Parma Monaco Grimaldi Netherlands Bonaparte Orange - Nassau ( Mecklenburg ) ( Lippe ) ( Amsberg ) Portugal Vímara Peres Burgundy Aviz Habsburg Spanish Braganza Braganza - Saxe - Coburg and Gotha Spain Asturias Barcelona Jiménez Burgundy Champagne Capet Évreux Trastámara Habsburg Bourbon Bonaparte Savoy Central Europe Austria Babenberg Habsburg Habsburg - Lorraine Bohemia Přemyslid Piast Luxembourg Jagiellon Habsburg Habsburg - Lorraine Germany Ascania Carolingian Conradines Ottonian Luitpolding Salian Süpplingenburg Hohenstaufen Welf Habsburg Hanover Saxe - Coburg and Gotha Nassau Luxembourg Wittelsbach Schwarzburg Brunswick - Lüneburg House of Pomerania Hohenzollern Württemberg Oldenburg Schleswig - Holstein - Sonderburg - Glücksburg Orange - Nassau Nassau - Weilburg Mecklenburg Vasa Palatine Zweibrücken Hesse Holstein - Gottorp Romanov Bonaparte Wettin Lippe Zähringen Hungary Árpád Přemyslid Wittelsbach Angevin Luxembourg Hunyadi Jagiellon Szapolyai Ottoman Habsburg Habsburg - Lorraine Liechtenstein Liechtenstein Poland Piast Přemyslid Samborides Griffins Jagiellon Valois Báthory Vasa Wiśniowiecki Sobieski Wettin Leszczyński Poniatowski After partitions : Holstein - Gottorp - Romanov Kingdom of Poland Habsburg Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria Wettin Duchy of Warsaw Lefebvre Duchy of Gdańsk Hohenzollern Duchy of Poznań GND : 11876926X LCCN : sh85146960 VIAF : 309816402 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=House_of_Windsor&oldid=851751843 '' Categories : House of Windsor European royal families Monarchy in Australia Monarchy in Canada Monarchy in New Zealand Hidden categories : CS1 : Julian -- Gregorian uncertainty Webarchive template wayback links Use British English from April 2011 Use dmy dates from April 2011 Pages using deprecated image syntax Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Afrikaans Azərbaycanca Bân - lâm - gú Беларуская Български Bosanski Català Čeština Dansk Deutsch Eesti Ελληνικά Español Euskara فارسی Français Gaeilge 한국어 Hrvatski Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית ქართული Қазақша Кыргызча Latviešu Magyar مصرى Bahasa Melayu Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Norsk nynorsk Português Română Русский Scots සිංහල Simple English Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska தமிழ் ไทย Türkçe Українська اردو Tiếng Việt 吴语 ייִדיש 粵語 中文 45 more Edit links This page was last edited on 24 July 2018, at 11 : 04 ( UTC ). 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Question: when did the royal family adopt the name windsor
Answer: in 1917