Epstein Sex Scandal: King Charles strips Prince Andrew of his royal titles, renames him Andrew Mountbatten Windsor
King Charles has formally stripped Prince Andrew of all his royal titles and privileges.
At 65, the former Duke of York will no longer carry the titles of prince or duke. Buckingham Palace confirmed on Thursday, October 30, that Andrew will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, marking a significant change in his royal standing, reports Yahoo News.
“His Majesty has today initiated a formal process to remove the Style, Titles and Honours of Prince Andrew,” the palace said in the statement. “Prince Andrew will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.”
In addition, Andrew will lose his living arrangements at Royal Lodge in Windsor.
“His lease on Royal Lodge has, to date, provided him with legal protection to continue in residence. Formal notice has now been served to surrender the lease, and he will move to alternative private accommodation. These censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him.”
“Their Majesties wish to make clear that their thoughts and utmost sympathies have been, and will remain with, the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse,” the statement concluded.
Andrew was a prince and had the styling of His Royal Highness since birth as the son of Queen Elizabeth. He was given the title of Duke of York by his late mother on his wedding day to Sarah Ferguson in 1986.
The last time a member of the British royal family was formally stripped of a title was with Prince Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale (a German-born British prince) under the Titles Deprivation Act 1917, when his British titles were removed after he swore allegiance to Germany during WWI.
When Andrew’s great-uncle, King Edward VIII, abdicated the throne in December 1936, he was not formally stripped of his royal titles. Instead, his brother King George VI granted him the title Duke of Windsor.
The news comes after Andrew announced on Friday, October 17, that he would give up the use of his royal titles and other titles and honors amid renewed interest in his relationship to Epstein, who died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal conspiracy and sex trafficking charges. However, he retained the titles at the time and was still known as Prince Andrew.
Andrew stepped back from his public royal role in 2019 following his headline-making BBC interview in which he discussed his relationship with Epstein. Scrutiny has intensified in recent weeks after the posthumous memoir of Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre, who died by suicide in April at 41.
In the book, she wrote that Andrew “believed having sex with me was his birthright,” describing three occasions Epstein allegedly arranged for her to meet him beginning at age 17. Prince Andrew has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
Queen Elizabeth stripped her son of his military titles and patronages in January 2022, after a judge rejected his attempt to have Giuffre’s sexual assault lawsuit against him dismissed. He settled with Giuffre out of court for an undisclosed sum.
