Prince Andrew will be officially stripped of his royal titles, the palace has announced.
Buckingham Palace announced in a statement on Thursday, October 30, that King Charles III has begun formal proceedings to strip former Prince Andrew, now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, of his dignity, title and honors.
Mr Windsor will also leave his royal residence at Royal Lodge and be moved to alternative private accommodation, the palace said. The move comes three years after he was ousted as senior royal following allegations over his relationship with convicted American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
“These charges are deemed necessary despite the fact that he continues to deny the charges against him,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement. “Their Majesties wish to make clear that their thoughts and utmost sympathy have been and continue to be for victims and survivors of all forms of abuse.”
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The former Duke of York continues to deny collaborating with the disgraced sex offender, but has previously said he agrees the controversy surrounding him is a distraction to the royal family.
In an October 17 statement shared by Buckingham Palace, Andrew said: “Following discussions with the King and my immediate family, I have come to the conclusion that continued accusations about me will interfere with the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family. As always, I have chosen to put my duty to my family and country first. I stand by the decision I made five years ago to distance myself from public life.”
Andrew’s late mother, Queen Elizabeth, stripped him of his patronage and military connections in 2022, making him a royal persona non grata. The decision came after he settled a sexual abuse lawsuit brought against him by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who died by suicide in Australia earlier this year.
Since then, the 65-year-old has only appeared in public at family events, including his parents’ funerals and, most recently, the funeral of Britain’s Catherine, Duchess of Kent in September.
Where will former Prince Andrew live?
Andrew plans to move into a property on the Sandringham estate. However, the palace said it would not provide further details, adding only that “future accommodation will be privately funded by the King.”
Will Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie retain their titles?
Following Andrew’s removal of his title, many are interested in whether his daughters Princess Beatrice, 37, and Princess Eugenie, 37, will retain their titles.
According to Buckingham Palace, the couple will continue to be princesses as they are children of the monarch’s son under King George V’s 1917 Letters Patent.
Andrew’s great-uncle, Edward VIII, retained his royal title even after abdicating the throne in December 1936 to marry his wife and becoming Duke of Windsor, a title given to him by his brother George VI.
Does King Charles have the authority to do this?
King Charles chose to begin the process of formally stripping Andrew of his title without going through Parliament.
Buckingham Palace said: “This would take up valuable parliamentary time and prevent parliament from focusing on urgent national issues. The King is doing everything within his royal prerogatives.”
However, Buckingham Palace said it had informed the relevant government authorities and supported the decision in place.
What was Andrew’s role?
Andrew served as Lord Chancellor and was responsible for overseeing the Rolls of Peers.
Buckingham Palace said in a statement: “His Majesty has sent a Royal Warrant to the Lord Chancellor to remove the Duke of York from the Roll of Peers and to secure him the title of Prince and ‘His Royal Highness.'”
Is the dismissal against Andrew’s will?
Charles III decided to strip him of his royal title, but Andrew did not object.
Andrew said in a statement on October 17 that he agreed with the king’s decision.
“We now feel that we must go a step further. Therefore, I will no longer use my title or the honor bestowed upon me. As I have stated previously, I strongly deny the charges against me,” he said.
Why was his royal title stripped?
The stripping of Andrew’s royal title comes ahead of backlash over his past friendship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and sexual abuse allegations against the royal by Virginia Giuffre, who committed suicide on April 25.
Allegations about Giuffre’s experiences with Andrew resurfaced this month with the publication of her posthumous memoir, Nobody’s Girl, on October 21st.
The former Duke of York retired from royal duties in 2019, but it was only this month that he announced he would no longer use his royal title.
What did Giuffre accuse the former prince of?
In 2015, Giuffre publicly claimed that Epstein trafficked her to Andrew when she was a teenager.
The Victims Refuse Silence founder said she first met Andrew in 2001, when he was 41 and she was 17.
In her memoir, she details how convicted sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell introduced Andrew to her as an old friend, and says she, Epstein, Maxwell and Andrew went to restaurants and nightclubs in London.
Andrew repeatedly denied her claims and said he had no recollection of meeting Giuffre.
Contributor: Brendan Morrow, USA TODAY
