(online translator)-Yana Litvinova:
On July 17 exactly 100 years from the date of the royal decree which changed a surname of the British monarchy were executed. Instead of Sakson-Koburg-Gottov members of a most august family of steel of Vindzor.
At the beginning of the XX century Europe stiffened in a condition of unstable balance. Monarchy still kept, but the ghost of changes already actively wandered through towns and villages.
Funeral of the British king, the son Queen Victoria of Edward VII became on May 20, 1910 the last parade of the leaving era.
In a mourning train representatives of all reigning dynasties went. Strictly according to the protocol the first emperors and kings went, they were followed by dukes, archdukes, Electors and princes. Representatives of democracies, even such influential and rich as the United States and France, were sent to back rows of a procession.
Nine kings who gathered for Edward VII's funeral. In the second row from left to right: king of Norway Haakon VII, king of Bulgaria Ferdinand I, king of Portugal Manuel II, Kaiser of Germany Wilhelm II, king of Greece Georgy I and king of Belgium Albert of I. In the first row from left to right: king of Spain Alphonso of XIII, king of Britain George V and king of Denmark Frederick VIII
The same who went in the forefront, didn't suspect yet that shortly they should or adapt for the changed realities, or in general to disappear from the horizon.
For the British royal family change of a name under which the ruling family acted became important part of adaptation.
Frankly speaking, it isn't quite clear as English patriots get on with this fact (I emphasize that English, but not British), but after the Tudor dynasty in English, and then and the British throne rather thoroughbred British didn't sit in general.
That is some related communications, of course, were traced (at monarchs with this business it was always quite strict), however, starting with George I, since 1714, Saint-Dzheymssky the yard was headed by Germans.
And everything began with that British refused flatly to live under a scepter of Catholics.
At Styuartov with the British throne it wasn't taken. Charles I was beheaded, his son at restoration had to make noticeable concessions to parliament, well, and James II compelled to go to exile. Generally, most likely, anybody also didn't touch it if it didn't pass into Catholicism, having got under influence of the first wife.

By then at British on Catholics the persistent allergy was developed, and the parliament decided to invite the daughter of the overthrown king Mary who fortunately was a Protestant to a throne, plus is married to the duke William of Orange. Well, and it (here it was lucky, it was so lucky!) too I was related to the British monarchs. The oldest daughter of Charles I, that, executed by Cromwell was his mother.

Unfortunately, Styuartam wasn't too lucky with successors. Neither at Mary and Wilhelm, nor at their successor Anna of children wasn't.

In 1714 Britain remained without king. George I, the son of Sofia Hanover, James I's granddaughters through his daughter Elizabeth Bogemskaya appeared the only suitable Protestant who had though some communications with royal family.

He was the first, but not the last German who was approved on the British throne. By the way, he wasn't learned to speak language of the citizens.
Queen Victoria was the last monarch from a dynasty Gannoverov. Her successors accepted a dynastic name of the prince Albert and there were Sakson-Koburg-Gottami

George I belonged to the German dynasty with a big name: Bransvik-Lyuneburg-Hanover connected with the most ancient royal houses Velfov and D'este, whose roots deeply got lost in the early Middle Ages.

The last representative ancient Gannoverov was Queen Victoria who, having married, accepted a dynastic name of the husband Albert. So royal family became Sakson-Koburg-Gottami.

So they them also remained, if not World War I.
World War I in Europe is called war of cousins, or war of cousins.

Really, the situation developed quite comical if this farce didn't turn back the world meat grinder in which millions of people were lost.
The Victoria was the lady prolific. Her numerous offsprings occupied seven European thrones and if to consider and I make related the prince Albert, 11.
George V, the Kaiser Wilhelm and Nicholas II were cousins. There are witnesses who claim that when Wilhelm learned that Russia opposed him, exclaimed: "Nicknames I deceived me!", then added: "If the grandmother (Victoria) was living, it would never allow it".
Most likely, it wasn't right because by 1914 the real power already escaped monarchs, passing, speaking to the modern language, to military industrial complex. Generals and arms manufacturers had purposes which had no relation to the word "world".
The death of "Luzitaniya" provoked powerful splash in the anti-German moods in Europe and the USA, having become one of the reasons of the entry of the United States in World War I

After three years of war already nobody remembered related feelings.

The anti-German moods in Britain reached the apogee.

The change happened in 1915 when all British Empire, and also residents of the United States were horrified after the German submarine sank the American civil ship to "Luzitany". 1200 people were lost. For the ethnic Germans who are still living on the British Isles, the situation became deadly.
The anti-German riots swept across London, Liverpool, Manchester and Newcastle.

In the London East End where many Germans held bakeries, furious crowds smashed store windows, ripped up bags with flour and pressed wheels already baked loaves.

Riots led to that for some time bread was practically gone in this part of the city.
In Bradford and Nottingham the naturalized Germans started signing letters in which swore fidelity to the country and the king, wished the British army a victory and pledged the honest-prechestnoye word that sleep and see defeat of Germany.

Thus it were in danger not only Germans.

Here that the Times newspaper wrote then:

On streets Poplara (the area in the east of London) the crowd smashed the German benches with such care that all appeared the victims, whose surname sounded not too in English.

In Leytenstouna the crowd darted one glance addressed to the owner of a pub (the Scot by the name of Strahan was it) and right there broke all windows.
It should be noted that newspapers maintained this madness. They demanded that all ethnic Germans of military age were isolated from society. At that time on the British Isles lived about 60 thousand Germans, the Austrians and Turks, plus eight thousand more naturalized citizens of "a hostile origin".

Moreover, the same Times warned: "We see that everything extends opinion that naturalization doesn't guarantee freedom against riots" more widely.
t is impossible to warrant, of course, but it is possible to assume that if George V read that number Times, he felt strongly ill at ease.

Though to think where the wind blows, it was possible already for a long time.

In 1914 the prince Ludwig Battenberg who was born in Austria was compelled to retire from a post of the First lord of the admiralty — only because of the German of roots.

By 1917 concerning "nemetskost" all members of royal family began to feel pressure.

The editor-in-chief of the Majesty magazine ("Majesty") Joe Littl somehow wrote that politicians simply compelled the king to change a dynasty name: "We appeared in a situation when even if you had a dachshund (in English dachshund, in popular speech "a dog — the German sausage"), you already considered as the German. Everything extended opinion more widely that the king secretly supports Germany. Politicians didn't leave it other exit!".
And it turned out that in the night of the 16th for July 17th, 1917 the royal family went to bed the German Sakson-Koburg-Gottami, and Vindzorami woke up purely English. Her members lost suddenly the German titles of princes and dukes and became the British lords.

Battenberg, for example, chose the line of least resistance and simply translated the surname from German into English, having become Mauntbattenami.

"Windsor" appeared a fine name for a dynasty, at the same time being quintessence of all English and all royal.

This brilliant idea came to mind to the personal secretary of the king lord Stemfordem.

That memorable night Ludwig Battenbergsky visited the son on the basis of royal fleet in Scotland. In the book for visitors he wrote: "There arrived the prince Hyde, there left lord Jekyll".

So what nationality queen?

In 1947 then still the Princess of Wales Elizabeth married Prince Philip. It carried a surname Mauntbatten and came from royal family of Shlezvig-Golstein-Zonderburg-Glyuksburg.

At that time World War II was absolutely recent past, and at marriage Philip refused all German titles.

On the advice of Winston Churchill who had long conversation with the queen-mother, Elizabeth at accession to the throne didn't begin to include a surname Mauntbatten in a name of the royal house and left it exclusively Windsor.
Whether but remained though some doubts concerning Elizabeth's "britanskost"?

Here is how this question is answered by the royal observer of the Telegraph newspaper Dominique Selvud: "The family of the queen lived in Britain throughout many centuries. Its native language is English, and she speaks fluent French, but not in German. She was born on Bratton Street in the London area Meyfer. It grew in the house at number 145 on Piccadilly, in Richmond [the area in the west of London] and the Windsor Castle. It drove the truck during World War II. She is modest, incredibly diplomatic and often laughs. She rides without a protective helmet and loves pigeon races. But most important: the whole world knows how she loves dogs and horses. So more "British" can simply not be!".
Unless there can be something more English, than love to dogs?

And the royal family still opens Christmas gifts on the eve of Christmas. And it is purely German tradition!