Prince Andrew to be stripped of titles and move out of Royal Lodge | Prince Andrew
Buckingham Palace announced that Prince Andrew will be stripped of his royal titles and moved from his home at the Royal Lodge in Windsor.
The palace said King Charles had begun a formal process to strip the style, titles and honors of Prince Andrew, who will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.
It is understood the King had the support of the Prince of Wales in the decision and Andrew did not object to the process.
The decision follows concerns within the royal family over the risk to the monarchy’s reputation caused by Andrew’s friendship with late child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and persistent headlines about allegations of sexual assault against him by one of Epstein’s victims, Virginia Giuffre.
This month, the Guardian published excerpts from the posthumous memoirs of Giuffre, 41, who killed herself in April. She claimed in the book that the prince “believed it was his birthright to have sex with me.”
Andrew has always denied claims he had sex with Giuffre when she was 17, and settled a civil lawsuit with her for £12 million, without admitting any liability.
Giuffre’s family said in a statement Thursday that she “declared a victory today” and “toppled a British prince with her integrity and extraordinary courage.”
In the statement made by Buckingham Palace, the following statements were made: “Prince Andrew will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.
“To date, his lease at Royal Lodge has provided him with legal protection to continue his residence. Formal notice has now been given to abandon the lease and he will move to alternative private accommodation. These reprimands are deemed necessary despite his continuing denial of the allegations against him.
“Her Majesty wishes to make it clear that her thoughts and utmost sympathies are with the victims and survivors of all forms of abuse and remain with them.”
It is understood Andrew will move to a property on the private Sandringham estate in Norfolk, to be privately financed by the king.
His ex-wife Sarah Ferguson will also leave the Royal Lodge and handle her own living arrangements.
Formal notice was given to surrender the lease at Royal Lodge on Thursday and it is understood Andrew’s move to Sandringham will take place “as soon as practicable”. He will receive appropriate private provisions from the king, and other sources of income will be the former duke’s affair.
The removal process applies to the titles of Prince, Duke of York, Earl of Inverness, Baron Killyleagh and the style of His Royal Highness. The awards affected are the Order of the Garter of Andrew and the Knight Grand Cross of the Victorian Order. HRH stopped using the style in 2022, but it was not officially removed.
Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, the daughters of a monarch’s son, retain their titles in accordance with King George V’s 1917 letters patent.
The King is now understood to be taking action as it is felt clear that there were serious errors of judgment as Andrew continues to deny the accusations against him.
Prior to the decision to formally strip Andrew of his titles and remove him from the Royal Lodge, the royal family had announced on 17 October that he would voluntarily cease using the title of Duke of York and give up the honor of being a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order and a Royal Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter.
But MPs have called for Andrew to be formally stripped of his titles. The public accounts select committee this week wrote to the Treasury and the royal estate demanding more information about the conditions of her residence at the 30-room Royal Lodge and why she should only pay a peppercorn rent.
The palace is understood to have never doubted that further action was needed, but a more formal impeachment process would require time, legal and constitutional expertise and the support of the wider royal family.
Although the duchy could be abolished by an act of parliament, this would take parliament’s time and it appears that Charles did not want to prevent parliament from focusing on pressing national issues.
The Duchy of York is a nobleman. The king sends royal orders to the lord chancellor to secure the duchy’s removal from the nobility, the title of prince, and the style of His Highness. Subsidiaries of Inverness and Killyleagh are similarly affected.
It is understood that the move was made in consultation with relevant government officials. The government supports the decision.
In a statement to the BBC, Giuffre’s family said: “Today, an ordinary American girl from an ordinary American family brought down a British prince with her integrity and extraordinary courage.
“Virginia Roberts Giuffre, our sister, a child when she was sexually assaulted by Andrew, never stopped fighting to take responsibility for what happened to her and countless survivors like her.
“Today, she declares victory. We, along with her family and surviving sisters, continue Virginia’s fight and will not rest until the same accountability applies to all abusers and enablers associated with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.”
Giuffre claimed she was forced to have sex with Andrew three times; once at convicted sex trafficker Maxwell’s London home, once at Epstein’s address in Manhattan and once at the disgraced financier’s private island Little St James. Andrew has always denied the allegations.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said it was “very difficult” for the king to take action against his brother but it was right that the public should not tolerate allegations of sexual abuse.
He added: “The whole Jeffrey Epstein saga and everyone it touched, from Prince Andrew to Peter Mandelson, has shown that the public has no interest whatsoever in sexual abuse and sexual crimes, especially against minors. And I think that’s quite true.”
Culture secretary Lisa Nandy told BBC Question Time that removing Andrew’s titles was a “really brave, important and correct step” by the king and sent a “strong message” to victims of sexual abuse.
Stephen Flynn, leader of the Scottish National Party in Westminster, told X: “It’s the right decision and an important moment for the victims of Epstein.”
Democratic congressman Suhas Subramanyam, who had previously called on Prince Andrew to testify before a US Congressional committee about his connections with Epstein and Maxwell, called on Andrew to testify once again.
He said: “It is clear that Prince Andrew has knowledge of Epstein’s crimes and he needs to do more than give up his titles or hide from the public.
“He owes it to the victims to share everything they know about Epstein’s criminal operation and appear before the oversight committee.
“No matter what happens, no matter how rich and powerful the perpetrators are, we will continue to pursue the files and all the evidence.”
