King Charles III on Thursday stripped his disgraced brother Prince Andrew of his remaining titles and evicted him from his royal residence, Buckingham Palace said. This decision was taken following weeks of pressure to act for his ties with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
“His Majesty has today initiated a formal process to remove the Style, Titles and Honours of Prince Andrew. Prince Andrew will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor,” a statement by Buckingham Palace reads.
The former Duke of York will leave his Windsor residence, Royal Lodge, where he has spent the last 20 years, according to the palace. “His lease on Royal Lodge has, to date, provided him with legal protection to continue in residence,” the statement added.
He has now received official notice to vacate the lease and relocate to a different private residence. Despite his continued denial of the accusations made against him, these censures are considered essential.
As soon as it is feasible, Prince Andrew will relocate to a home on the royal Sandringham estate in Norfolk. The King will provide private funding for any further accommodations.
“Their Majesties wish to make clear that their thoughts and utmost sympathies have been, and will remain with, the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse,” the statement concluded.
By renouncing his dukedom and other titles prior to the release of Virginia Giuffre’s posthumous memoirs earlier this month, Andrew sought to put an end to years of controversy following claims that he had sexually abused her. Although he continues to refute the charges against him, it is acknowledged that there have been significant errors in his judgement, which is why action was taken.
The wider family’s support and legal and constitutional knowledge were necessary for the changes to take place. It is understood that Andrew did not object when Charles started the procedure. After being consulted, the government stated that it believes the decision is constitutionally correct. It is also believed that the Prince of Wales and the entire royal family endorse the monarch’s decision.
The titles revoked
The formal procedure will apply to Andrew’s titles of Prince, Duke of York, Earl of Inverness, Baron Killyleagh, and the style “His Royal Highness,” even though he gave up using his titles and honours in a statement released by the palace earlier this month. The Knight Grand Cross of the Victorian Order and Andrew’s Order of the Garter are the honours impacted.
Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, Andrew’s daughters, shall continue to hold their titles and styles of HRH in accordance with King George V’s Letters Patent of 1917, regardless of the King’s decision.
The Royal Lodge rent controversy
Following the controversy surrounding the “peppercorn” rent for the 30-room mansion where he has lived for more than 20 years, demand increased for Andrew to give up the residence willingly and talks between the former Duke of York and palace authorities were reported to have started a week ago.
Which surname will Andrew use?
Members of the British royal family are frequently referred to by their title, name, and His or Her Royal Highness rather than by their last name. However, the royal family’s website states: “At a meeting of the Privy Council on 17 July 1917, George V ruled that ‘all descendants in the male line of Queen Victoria, who are subjects of these realms, other than female descendants who marry or who have married, shall bear the name of Windsor’.”
To differentiate their direct predecessors, the Privy Council decided in 1952 that descendants of Queen Elizabeth II would bear the name Mountbatten-Windsor, unless they were female descendants who married or had the title of Prince or Princess and the style of Royal Highness. After being born in 2003, Lady Louise Windsor, the daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, became the first royal to adopt the surname Mountbatten-Windsor.