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I have had some confusion about this. In the express. Co. UK Article about the name change of the British Royal Family it said:

"For example, Queen Elizabeth I had no heirs and the crown passed to King James I of the House of Stuart, ending the Tudor dynasty’s period on the throne.

When Queen Anne died in 1714 without heirs, the Stuart dynasty was replaced with the House of Hanover.

Although they are now known as the Royal House of Windsor, the current Royal Family were actually members of the German House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

Queen Victoria was the last monarch of the Royal House of Hanover. She was married Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, with whom she had nine children."

Did they change their German family name, because they hate the German?

Are the Windsors English?

(Note: IM TALKING ABOUT ANCESTRY)

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    Royalty is royalty. Its probably better to view pretty much all European protestant royals as part of one large extended multinational family.
    – T.E.D. ♦
    Commented Mar 3, 2021 at 18:35
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    Welcome to History:Stack Exchange. Thank you for your question; please consider revising it to be more in line with our community expectations. Like many other stacks, we expect questions to provide evidence of prior research. That helps us to understand the question, and avoids our repeating work you've already done. Our help center, and other stacks provide additional resources to assist with revisions.
    – MCW ♦
    Commented Mar 3, 2021 at 18:51
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    "hate the Germans" is a provocative phrase that makes it difficult to understand the situation. By the simple legal test, they are citizens of the UK, and assert that they are English. On what grounds would anyone challenge that. The reasons they changed the name were public and well understood at the time.
    – MCW ♦
    Commented Mar 3, 2021 at 18:52
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    What's "English"? It's quite arguable that none of England's monarchs since 1066 have been English. You might even argue that the ones before that were likewise descended from various invaders.
    – jamesqf
    Commented Mar 3, 2021 at 18:53
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    My family is American. The fact that my ancestors were English/German/etc. doesn't change that.
    – user15620
    Commented Mar 3, 2021 at 19:09

1 Answer 1

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Correct

Everything you say appears 100% correct. The current royal family are from the house of Windsor, though this is a name they adopted due to anti-german sentiment in Britain. The house had previously been a German house named "Saxe Coburg Gotha".

House of Windsor, wikipedia

The House of Windsor is the reigning royal house of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms. In 1901, the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (a branch of the House of Wettin) succeeded the House of Hanover to the British monarchy with the accession of King Edward VII, son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. In 1917, the name of the royal house was changed from the German Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to the English Windsor because of anti-German sentiment in the United Kingdom during World War I.1

Britannica encyclopedia

This version of history is also shared by the Britannica encyclopedia

House of Windsor, Britannica encyclopedia

The dynastic name Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (German: Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha, or Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha) was that of Victoria’s German-born husband, Albert, prince consort of Great Britain and Ireland. Their eldest son was Edward VII. During the anti-German atmosphere of World War I, George V declared by royal proclamation (July 17, 1917) that all descendants of Queen Victoria in the male line who were also British subjects would adopt the surname Windsor.

Are the Windsors English? Yes, ever since Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary) was born 21 April 1926) the Windsors are now all born in England and not Germany, and are therefore 100% English citizens.

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    King George VI was born in England (as was his Grandfather and Grandmother in 1865/67) and his wife was born in Scotland. Prince Charles father was born in Greece. I fail to why Prince Charles would be eligible to play football/soccer for Germany by the 2004 changed FIFA eligibility rules: ... , in such scenarios, the player must have at least one parent or grandparent who was born in that country, or the player must have been resident in that country for at least two years.
    – Mark Johnson
    Commented Mar 3, 2021 at 19:46
  • @Mark Johnson I have removed it. However he would be applicable via his grandmother. Whilst she was born in UK, being born in a country stopped being the only criteria a long time ago. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Alice_of_Battenberg
    – John Strachan
    Commented Mar 3, 2021 at 20:13
  • Yes, but under those conditions, Prince Charles would be eligible to play for Greece or Scotland as a British citizen.
    – Mark Johnson
    Commented Mar 3, 2021 at 20:18
  • Yes, just like Matt Le Tissier and Greame Le Saux being from Jersey were eligible to play for any of the WISE nations. But that is besides the point. Fact is, they are English now. They were a bit more German in the past, regardless of where they were born.
    – John Strachan
    Commented Mar 3, 2021 at 20:21
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    The last British Sovereign born in Germany was George II. Of Queen Viktoria (who was born in London) 9 children, all but 1 was born in Buckingham Palace in London, with 1 born at Windsor Castle. Edward VII 7 children and George V 6 children were also born in England. The last portion of this answer is therefore misleading.
    – Mark Johnson
    Commented Mar 4, 2021 at 0:22

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