For the Windsors, the current phase of the Prince Andrew/Andrew Mountbatten Windsor saga is “look at us, look at how we’re punishing Andrew because we finally understand how much the British public hates him!” The weeks, months and years of covering for and dithering about Andrew took a toll on the monarchy and now they’re doing the most to ensure that they’re *seen* to be snubbing him and punishing him. The latest is that Andrew won’t even have his surname styled in the way he prefers. Apparently, Andrew wanted his new un-royaled name to be written as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. But now King Charles says that there needs to be a hyphen. Note: technically speaking, the hyphen was always there, and none of this even matters.

After the removal of his titles, the Palace is considering reinstating something for Andrew Mountbatten Windsor: a hyphen. When Buckingham Palace announced that Andrew would no longer be known as a prince, it gave his new name as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, with no hyphen in the double-barrelled surname.

It is understood that this was the name agreed with the former prince and the version Andrew preferred. Now, however, the Palace is considering introducing a hyphen in accordance with his late mother’s wishes.

Some historians spoke of their surprise that Andrew’s new name would not contain a hyphen given the “historic precedent”. The surname, which was created to accommodate [Prince] Philip Mountbatten’s name within the family, appears with a hyphen on official documents.It was introduced by the Palace following a privy council declaration made by the late Queen before the birth of Andrew, who was the first of her children to be born after Elizabeth acceded the throne.

Some historians feel that now Andrew has lost the “titular dignity” of Prince, he ought to be known as Mountbatten-Windsor, with a hyphen.

[From The Times]

Just as an editorial note, hyphen or no hyphen, “Mountbatten-Windsor” is too long for our headlines and I’m probably going to continue to call him “Andrew Windsor” or “Andrew M-W” in the bulk of our coverage. But yes, the hyphen should be there. That’s what QEII wanted, and that’s what Prince Philip wanted as well. It actually seems weird to me that Andrew wouldn’t want the hyphen?

Meanwhile, the Sun had a piece over the weekend about how Andrew and Sarah Ferguson are rattling around Royal Lodge, mostly in separate wings. Andrew has been “padding around the lodge and ranting and muttering” while Fergie drinks in the custom-built bar and begs their staff to stay with her until late in the night. Fergie is said to be “panicking about what comes next and she is not in a good place… she is particularly fearful for Andrew as she knows he was at the centre of the Epstein scandal. She has talked about ‘dark forces’ potentially targeting him.” But… why would dark forces target Andrew? He’s lied at every turn about his associations with Epstein and Maxwell, and he’s never revealed everything he knows (because he would incriminate himself massively).

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.