If Prince Harry and Meghan have children, this is the surname they'll likely use

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have given no indication children are on their agenda right now - but the public's curiosity about their future family shows no sign of cooling off.

One point of interest is what surname the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's offspring would take on.

We don't usually associate surnames with the British monarchy, given its members are typically referred to by their official titles and first names.

In the case of Prince Harry and Meghan's children, it's speculated the most likely surname is Sussex, and it's all thanks to the titles the newlyweds received when they said "I do."

The tradition of royal children's surnames reflecting their parents' territorial designation is a relatively recent one, started by Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana.

Similarly, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie have always used the surname York, as their father is Prince Andrew, i.e. the Duke of York. (And, as we learned by accident last week, Beatrice's private Instagram handle is @BeaYork.)

RELATED: Why Harry and Meghan’s future children won’t be princes or princesses

Prince William and Kate Middleton have followed this pattern, enrolling Prince George as George Cambridge when he began school in Battersea, London last year.

It's believed this approach was intended to help the children fit in better with their peers at school.

Until 1917, members of the British monarchy didn't have a surname at all; instead, sovereigns would take the name of the house or dynasty they belonged to.

This changed with George V, who adopted the name Windsor as both the name of the family's 'house' - previously Saxe-Coburg-Gotha - and its surname. According to the royal website, this decision was an upshot of anti-German sentiment during WWI.

However, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip modified this to Mountbatten-Windsor in 1960 - Mountbatten being the Duke of Edinburgh's surname - so their own descendents would be distinguished from the rest of the Royal Family.

Essentially, royals with the title of HRH Prince or Princess can use this surname when they need or want to, but it's not an obligation.

The Queen's grandchildren are a different story, however. Along with the territorial names used by Prince Charles and Prince Andrew's offspring, Princess Anne's children took their father's surname, while Prince Edward's go by Windsor without the Mountbatten.

Variety is the spice of life, right?