Expert: Joseph Logue - 11/7/2006

Question
i know that the royal family chose windsor as a surname because of their german connection, but why did they decide on this particular name
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Answer
Hi Sandi,

Excellent question.  In 1917, Lord Stamfordham, Private Secretary to King George V, was charged with trying to find a new name for the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.  You obviously know the background story, but you may not know how how much debate was generated.  Because of such strong anti-German feeling, it was seen as extremely dangerous to continue bearing that name (the Kaiser was teetering, the Romanovs were gone -- it was not a secure time for royals).

Lord Stamfordham sought high and low, but it seems that most names that had a previous royal connection were taken.  Finally, in a stroke of genius, he thought of Windsor, which was not only an ancient name but also was the home of the Royal Family's favorite residence, Windsor Castle.  It appears that it had only been used as a royal title once before, and that was of equally ancient precedence.

Here's an excellent overview of the situation, with some interesting links:

http://www.heraldica.org/faqs/britfaq.html#p2-1

Thanks for visiting AllExperts, Sandi.  Come back soon.

Sincerely,

Joseph Logue