Is William behind Andrew’s stunning demotion? Royal historian Andrew Lownie claims decision to remove the former Duke’s titles is coming from King Charles’ heir

Royal historian Andrew Lownie believes the decision to strip the former Duke of his titles came not from the monarch or the Duke, but from King Charles’ heir Prince William.

After another week of scandal, Andrew was finally forced tonight to renounce all his remaining royal titles, relinquish his membership in the Order of the Garter and renounce his title as Duke of York.

He also lost his position as Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order but will remain a prince; His ex-wife, the former Duchess of York Sarah, has also lost her titles and will now be known simply as Sarah Ferguson.

But royal historian Andrew Lownie, who published an unauthorized biography of Prince Andrew called ‘The Official’ in August, revealed tonight that he believes the decision came from an unlikely source – heir to the throne Prince William.

Speaking to the BBC, Lownie said: ‘Andrew definitely didn’t drive it [the decision to give up his titles].

‘So if he had thought about his family as he claimed, he would have done something like this years ago. This isn’t actually coming from King Charles either.

‘I understand it’s coming from William and the government who feel this is a distraction from the wider affairs of the royal family.’

He added: ‘I think there’s a lot more to come out. And I think that’s what worried them; It would have been better for them to have distanced themselves earlier, before these new allegations emerged.’

Prince Andrew was spotted having a chilly exchange with Prince William as they left Westminster Abbey at the Duchess of Kent’s funeral last month.

News of Andrew’s demotion tonight follows a frosty exchange witnessed between Andrew and Prince William at the Duchess of Kent’s funeral last month.

The disgraced Duke of York tried to chat up his nephew after the couple paid tribute to Katharine Kent at the ceremony at Westminster Cathedral.

Andrew could be seen muttering a few words to William, who refused to join the conversation and only gave a curt nod in response.

Body language expert Judi James told the Daily Mail that Prince William’s “non-verbal reactions” indicated a degree of “clumsiness” between the pair.

She also described the look on Prince Andrew’s face as a ‘smug smile’ as he tried to chat up his nephew.

The prince’s decision to renounce his titles tonight was taken after intense pressure from King Charles 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.

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.

Lownie said the demotion ‘hasn’t changed much’.

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

Prince Andrew’s statement from Buckingham Palace

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

‘He protects his daughters’ They protect their titles. I think something needs to be seen to be done. “And that seemed like a very neat solution,” the historian said.

‘But I think there are still a lot of questions. I mean, I think he still holds the rank of Navy Vice Admiral. He currently lives at Royal Lodge.’

Lownie added that he believed the removal of the title was likely a compromise decision.

‘As long as he can stay at the Royal Lodge and go to shoots on the weekends, I think he’ll be content with that. This is probably a compromise position.

‘I mean, in return for spending £10m renovating the Royal Lodge he’s been given a pepper-pot rent there and a long lease, and it’s going to be quite difficult to remove him from the optics.

“But I still think he should leave the Royal Lodge if he cares about his family and the wider interests of the monarchy,” Lownie said.

It is understood that the King, who is thought to have spoken to his brother on the phone from Scotland, was ‘satisfied’ with the result. ‘Something had to be done,’ a source said.

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.

Virginia Giuffre photographed with Prince Andrew and Ghislaine Maxwell in London in 2001

Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson at Royal Ascot in June 2016

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.

Prince Andrew said his decision was driven by his desire to “always…put my duty to my family and my country first” and reiterated his infamous comment that he chose to sever ties with Epstein by flying to New York and telling him the news personally because he was an “honorable” man.

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

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.’

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

Lownie claimed that the real loser of the decision would be Sarah, who would lose all her titles, while her ex-husband would remain a Prince by birth.

‘I think this would be a blow to Sarah Ferguson. I mean, she’s profited from being the Duchess of York for the last 40 years, even long after the divorce.

‘So, if she has actually used some of the brand’s products, so have the Duchess products. So I think it’s going to be a little blurry in terms of his money-making activities.

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

Last weekend the MoS exclusively revealed that Prince Andrew had lied publicly when he claimed he never contacted Epstein again after their ‘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.