King Charles is seen for the first time since Prince Andrew gave up his remaining titles following fresh string of scandals

King Charles has been photographed for the first time since it was revealed he would hand over his brother Prince Andrew’s remaining titles following a series of new scandals.

The 76-year-old monarch was spotted heading to the family’s Scottish estate, Crathie Kirk, near the Balmoral estate in Aberdeenshire, for Sunday morning’s service.

The king was seen with a serious expression and a tense figure after a difficult few days for the royal family.

On Friday, Andrew announced that he would no longer be known as the Duke of York and that he was resigning as a member of the Order of the Garter, the country’s oldest order of chivalry.

The decision is understood to have been made after intense pressure from the King and discussions with other family members, including heir to the throne Prince William, as well as Andrew’s other siblings, Princess Anne and Prince Edward.

The King is said to have spoken to his brother by phone from Scotland about the issue and was “delighted” with the outcome. ‘Something had to be done,’ a source said.

Andrew will also give up his position as a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order but will remain a prince as he was born the son of Queen Elizabeth.

His ex-wife Sarah, Duchess of York, with whom he will continue to live at the luxurious 30-bedroom Royal Lodge in Windsor, will now be known simply as Sarah Ferguson.

Last night, the older brother of the late Virginia Giuffre, who claims she had sex with Andrew in London when she was 17, called on King Charles to go one step further and take back the title of ‘prince’.

Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told the Daily Mail today: ‘William will likely pursue a tough policy when he becomes King and we may never see Andrew or Sarah in public at a royal event again.’

There was a sense of relief at Buckingham Palace that the King’s brother had finally ‘put to the sword’ after years of pressure to keep a low profile, despite being stripped of his HRH title and forced to resign from public duties in 2022.

But there was also an air of fatigue as the monarchy had to endure another week of hugely damaging headlines at the hands of the disgraced duke.

In a statement released on his behalf by Buckingham Palace, Andrew made clear that he continues to deny sexual assault allegations against him by the late Virginia Giuffre, whom he met through pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

But she acknowledged that ongoing revelations about her dealings with Epstein were a “distraction” from the good work of the Royal Family, The Mail reported on Sunday.

He said his decision was motivated by his desire to “always put my duty to my family and my country first,” and repeated his infamous comment that he chose to break off relations with Epstein by flying to New York to break the news to him in person because he was an “honorable” man.

The family of Ms. Giuffre, who committed suicide in April, said in a statement that Andrew’s decision was “a vindication for our sister and survivors everywhere.”

Andrew and Charles at Westminster Cathedral last month after the Duchess of Kent’s funeral

Prince Andrew’s statement from Buckingham Palace

They added: ‘This moment serves as a victory for Virginia, who has consistently said, ‘She knows what happened, I know what happened, and only one of us is telling the truth and I know it’s me.’

Last weekend the MoS exclusively revealed that Andrew had clearly lied when he claimed he never contacted Epstein again after his ‘last’ meeting in December 2010.

12 weeks after the meeting in which Andrew contacted the sex offender, the day after a photo of the prince with Ms Giuffre was published, she obtained emails sent to reassure him that “we are in this together” and that we must “get through this”.

Andrew concluded ad nauseam: ‘Otherwise stay in close contact and we’ll play some more soon!!!’ A knight of the Order of the Garter, he was signed ‘A, HRH The Duke of York, KG’.

It has also been revealed that Andrew met with the alleged Chinese spy at the center of the current Whitehall spy case on at least three occasions.

Sources told the Daily Mail that things came to a head this week after ‘constant new allegations’ of MoS email disclosures proving to be ‘the major problem’. The changes will come into force immediately and have been decided taking into account the fact that the prince’s personal problems remain an ‘unwelcome distraction’ from the affairs of the wider Royal Family.

However, the King acknowledged that he could not legally force Andrew out of his home at Royal Lodge, and that he would continue to stay there as long as he could afford the rent.

The prince has an exclusive lease with the Crown Estate for more than 100 years, which is said to be ‘unaffected’ by issues surrounding his honors and titles.

The prince’s titles are ‘suspended’ rather than stripped; effectively remaining ‘present but inactive’.

Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson at the funeral of the Duchess of Kent in September 2025

It appears that part of the king’s consideration was to avoid wasting parliamentary time by formally revoking titles. Any move to do this would require an Act of Parliament.

But Her Majesty was also keen to ‘protect’ Andrew’s daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, who remain as Her Royal Highnesses as Queen Elizabeth’s grandchildren. If their father’s titles had been removed, theirs would also have been affected, and Charles was determined to avoid this, as he regarded them with ‘great respect and affection’.

‘He wouldn’t want to sign anything that would affect them,’ a source said.

According to the Letters Patent (an expression of a monarch’s written wishes), published by George V in 1917 and updated by Queen Elizabeth in 2012, Andrew was a member of Queen Elizabeth II. He remains a prince because he is Elizabeth’s son. A source confirmed: ‘The title of duke will not be used and will not be considered ‘standby’.

‘HRH title is already inactive. ‘The prince’s other titles and honors now join him.’

Notably, Andrew remains formally Counsel of State: ‘under limited and defined circumstances’ to act on behalf of the King in the event he becomes incapacitated or is abroad. Prince Harry is one of those who could theoretically take action in such situations.

However, sources emphasized that it had already been made clear through Parliament in 2022 that non-working members of the Royal Family would not be called to serve in this capacity, so the position is out of action again and it is not worth devoting parliamentary time to a change.

Sources also confirmed that Andrew will not be joining the Royal Family again for Christmas at Sandringham, despite his daughters being welcomed, as previously revealed by the Mail.

A royal source told the Mail: ‘There is a sense of relief that this is over.’

A source close to Sarah Ferguson said she has always used her maiden name professionally and is ‘confused’ behind Andrew’s decision.

‘Actually, this will not affect him in any way and he will continue to support him,’ they said.

Royal writer Andrew Lownie told The Times that Andrew could voluntarily vacate Royal Lodge but would likely stay there “as long as he can afford it”. Mr Lownie said Andrew paid some peppercorn rent and spent up to £10 million restoring the mansion.

‘Moreover, the Royal Lodge is the ultimate status symbol for a man who has little idea of ​​his own identity beyond being once second in line to the throne,’ he added.

The former Duke has a ‘cast iron’ lease until 2078 but there are growing calls for King Charles to sack him.

After another humiliating week for the House of York, Andrew is understood to have canceled an extravagant birthday bash for Fergie at the Royal Lodge last Wednesday as the Epstein scandal rocked the pair once again.

It was also recently revealed that Andrew insisted Giuffre sign a gag order to avoid being embarrassed during Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

The bombshell claim will be revealed in Ms Giuffre’s tell-all memoir from beyond the grave, to be published on Tuesday.

He writes: ‘I accepted a one-year ban on speaking; This seemed important to the Prince because it ensured that his mother’s Platinum Jubilee was not tarnished any more than it had already been.’

Virginia Giuffre’s family members said in a statement: ‘We, the family of Virginia Roberts Giuffre, believe that Prince Andrew’s decision to renounce his titles is a vindication for our sister and survivors everywhere. This decisive action is a strong step forward in our fight to bring Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s child sex trafficking network to justice.

‘We also believe it is appropriate for King Charles to remove the title of Prince.

‘This moment serves as a victory for Virginia, who constantly says, ‘She knows what happened, I know what happened, and only one of us is telling the truth and I know it’s me.’

‘This is a victory not just for him, but for all the survivors of the horrific crimes committed by Epstein and his collaborators.

‘The publication of recent emails between Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein, particularly an email sent in early 2011, just after the publication of a photograph of Virginia, Prince Andrew and Ghislaine Maxwell, raises serious questions about the nature of their relationship.

‘In this email Prince Andrew wrote comments ‘we are in this together’ and ‘we will be playing more soon’; These comments further confirm the truths that Virginia has been talking about for a long time. This evidence completely contradicts Prince Andrew’s claims in a 2018 BBC interview in which he stated that he cut off all contact with Epstein in 2010.

‘Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to promoting underage prostitution. These emails not only highlight Prince Andrew’s contradictory statements, but also reveal a disturbing willingness to deviate from the truth and evade accountability. His actions and words indicate a belief that he can escape the consequences of his associations.

‘We hope that the days of impunity for the powerful will be over and protection of predators will no longer be tolerated. We hope that a higher standard is set for our leaders serving in the United States; We will work tirelessly to follow up here. ‘It’s time for accountability, transparency and justice for survivors.’

Founded by Edward III in 1348, the Order of the Garter is Britain’s highest order of chivalry.

This is an honor highly valued by Andrew, and its removal is a serious blow to him.

The monarch could strip members of the order of their honor, but it is understood that Charles would prefer his brother to give up the title voluntarily.

One of the last people to be stripped of the Order of the Garter was Emperor Hirohito of Japan, following his country’s entry into World War II in 1941.