Andrew stripped of ‘prince’ title and will move out of Royal Lodge

Prince Andrew will lose his title of ‘prince’ and leave his Windsor mansion, Royal Lodge, following weeks of intense scrutiny over his links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

In a statement on Thursday nightThe King’s brother will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, Buckingham Palace said.

Andrew gave up his other royal titles, including Duke of York, earlier this month after facing more questions about his private life.

In her memoirs, published posthumously earlier this month, Virginia Giuffre repeated claims that she had sex with Prince Andrew on three separate occasions in her youth. Andrew has always denied the allegations.

Reacting to the latest developments, Ms Giuffre’s family said she “toppled a British prince with her integrity and extraordinary courage”. Giuffre committed suicide earlier this year.

The palace said in a statement that the King “today initiated a formal process to remove Prince Andrew’s style, titles and honours.”

Along with the title, the Palace said the Royal Lodge “has been sent formal notice to cancel the lease.”

He will move into private accommodation at Sandringham Manor, which is understood to have been privately financed by King Charles.

The statement said, “These censorships were deemed necessary even though he continued to deny the allegations against him.”

The Palace also expressed its support for victims of “all forms of abuse”.

Andrew’s two adult daughters, Eugenie and Beatrice, will retain their princess titles, with Andrew still eighth in line to the throne.

It is understood his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson will also leave the Royal Lodge and make her own living arrangements.

Until this month, Sarah, Duchess of York, retained her title but reverted to her maiden name of Ferguson after Andrew voluntarily gave up the title of Duke of York.

It is understood the government was consulted on the decision to strip Andrew of his princely title, and the government has made clear it supports the decision.

Reacting to the news on BBC Question Time, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said it sent “a very strong message to victims of care and sexual crime”.

“This is a huge development and a big step for the King. As a first reaction, I must say that I really support the step he has taken.”

Stripping Andrew of his titles would remove pressure that has been building on the Royal Family for weeks.

The scandal over her links to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was reignited by allegations of sexual abuse in Ms. Giuffre’s memoir.

Although Andrew has always vehemently denied harassing Ms. Giuffre, earlier this month emails from 2011 resurfaced showing Andrew contacting Epstein months after he claimed their friendship had ended.

Details about Andrew’s living arrangements have also come under the spotlight, with new questions recently raised about how he is able to fund his lifestyle despite not being a working royal.

Andrew has lived at Royal Lodge since 2004, after signing a 75-year lease last year with his landlord, the Crown Estate, which operates as an independent property company.

II on the Windsor estate. The grade-listed Royal Lodge includes a gardener’s cottage, a Chapel Lodge, six-bedroom cottage and secure accommodation.

Last week, more details emerged about how he could afford his mansion after his lease was revealed.

The agreement means it pays only a nominal annual rent to the Royal Lodge, and may not even be required under its agreement with the Crown Estate. A lease document seen by BBC News confirms this.

The deal meant Prince Andrew would make large lump sum payments upfront, including the renovation, rather than paying annual rent.

In fact, these payments, totaling more than £8 million and detailed in the National Audit Office report, meant that he had bought himself out of future lease obligations over the 75-year lease, based on pre-payment of notional annual rent of £260,000.

In a separate development, This week it was revealed that Prince Andrew hosted Jeffrey Epstein at the Royal Lodge As part of his daughter Beatrice’s birthday celebrations in 2006 – two months after a US arrest warrant was issued for Epstein for sexual assault of a minor. Andrew did not respond to a request for comment.

For the palace, Thursday’s announcement is an attempt to draw a line under the scandals surrounding the former Prince Andrew, now simply Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.