Prince Harry and Meghan Markle named their 4-year-old son Prince Archie and 2-year-old daughter Princess Lilibet, bestowing upon them the last name Sussex instead of Mountbatten-Windsor. According to a royal expert, the late Prince Philip would have found this decision to be "desperately sad."

Since 1960, Prince Philip ensured that his male-line descendants would use the surname Mountbatten-Windsor. Royal expert Ingrid Seward, a royal expert, wrote in the Daily Mail that Prince Harry's decision would have disappointed Prince Philip and would have made him "turn in his grave." Seward seemed concerned that Harry's choice would further distance him and his children even further from the royal family.

In 1917, the House of Windsor changed its name from Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to Windsor due to the anti-German feeling associated with World War I. When Queen Elizabeth became monarch in 1952, Prince Philip was 'disappointed' that his children would be known as Windsors instead of Mountbattens.

Before marrying Queen Elizabeth in 1947, Prince Philip renounced his claim to the Greek and Danish thrones and adopted his mother's last name, Mountbatten. Seward called it a pity, only three generations later, that Prince Harry would throw aside his grandfather's wishes and effectively give up his family name, for which Prince Philip went to war.

The official changes to Archie and Lilibet's names were made public earlier this month on Harry and Meghan's new website, Sussex.com. The rebranded website for the couple was dubbed "SussexRoyal.com," which had sparked controversy. The decision to name their site after their titles was seen as a betrayal of the late Queen Elizabeth's trust, as they had pledged not to use their titles for personal gain after stepping down from the royal family in 2020.

The Daily Mail reported on February 14 that this will pose a "big challenge" for Buckingham Palace and that the site will be named after their titles. It is considered a violation of the agreement, "if not in letter, certainly in spirit." Another source noted that "Buckingham Palace may have its hands tied in taking action" due to the couple's status as Duke and Duchess of Sussex being their surname and family name.