Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, has been expelled from his royal residence and stripped of all his titles by his brother, King Charles III of England, amid mounting pressure for the royal family to take action regarding Andrew’s relationship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and related accusations.
Buckingham Palace stated in a release that the condemnation was deemed necessary, despite Andrew’s ongoing denial of the allegations against him. Their Majesties expressed their care and deepest sympathy for the abused victims and survivors, both past and future.
King Charles III has initiated the formal procedures to rescind Prince Andrew’s titles and honors, including the title of “Prince”. He will now be known as “Andrew Mountbatten Windsor”.
Simultaneously, Buckingham Palace has announced that he will be relocating from the royal estate to a private residence.
Prior to the King’s actions, Andrew had already withdrawn from public life and voluntarily relinquished almost all of his royal titles, including the Duke of York, Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order, and Royal Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, due to the accusations made by Virginia Roberts Giuffre.
Giuffre alleged that she was trafficked by Epstein and sexually assaulted by Andrew when she was 17 years old. The lawsuit was filed in 2021 and settled in 2022, with the settlement amount not disclosed.
Giuffre passed away in April this year at the age of 41 with the cause of death officially ruled as suicide.
In a statement submitted to the court, Andrew admitted that while he continues to deny the specific allegations, he acknowledges Epstein’s criminal behavior and recognizes Giuffre as a “recognized victim of abuse”.
While Andrew had initially planned to retain his title of “Prince” and hoped his daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie, could keep their titles of “Princess”, he ultimately had to give up those aspirations in the wake of the scandal.
Sarah Ferguson, Andrew’s ex-wife, will also lose the title of Duchess of York. Following the revelation that she referred to Epstein as her “superior friend” in emails, several charitable organizations severed ties with her.
Andrew is the third child of the late Queen Elizabeth II.