Andrew Mountbatten Windsor is in danger of losing another honorary title due to his connections to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and Virginia Giuffre’s allegations of sexual abuse. Ministers are reportedly in talks to revoke Andrew’s honorary position of vice-admiral, which he received on his 55th birthday in 2015. He kept his rank as vice-admiral even after resigning from his other military roles in 2022. John Healey, the secretary of defense, has hinted that this might change.
After giving up his titles in 2022 and losing others in 2025, such as the Knight Commander of the Order of the Garter, the rank is his final honorary military title. In an interview with BBC on Sunday, Healey said that his department was “working to remove” Andrew’s vice-admiral position. “In general, the Government’s been guided by the decisions and judgements the King has made,” he added.
“In defence, it’s exactly the same. And we’ve seen Andrew surrender the honorary positions he’s had throughout the military, and guided again by the King, we are working now to remove that last remaining title of vice-admiral that he has.
“I don’t have an update for you on that, but just as with his vice-admiral rank and title, we would be guided by the decisions the King makes,” replied Healey when he was asked whether the former prince would lose his medals.
From 1979 to 2001, Andrew served in the Royal Navy, mainly working on the HMS Invincible as a helicopter pilot. During his Navy career spanning 22 years, he was sent to the Falklands War in 1982 and took part in the dangerous Exocet missile decoy. The former Duke of York has received several military medals after leaving the Navy in 2001. He returned them in 2022 after his association with Epstein came under fire and Giuffre accused him of sexual abuse.
It was announced on Thursday that Andrew would no longer be the “Duke of York” and that Sarah Ferguson, his ex-wife, would no longer be the Duchess of York. Additionally, he secretly relinquished his titles as Baron Killyleagh (Northern Ireland) and Earl of Inverness (Scotland). In terms of awards, he lost both the Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order and the Order of the Garter.
Buckingham Palace issued a second statement on Thursday announcing that Andrew’s titles will be formally revoked. He will henceforth be referred to as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. Additionally, it was confirmed that the former Duke of York would leave Royal Lodge, his residence in Windsor.
It followed years of investigation on the Queen Elizabeth II’s second son due to his connections to the late Epstein and his convicted accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell. Andrew was identified in documents in a US civil case brought against Epstein in 2015 and had ties to the disgraced financier as early as 2001.
In an interview with Emily Maitlis on BBC Newsnight in 2019, just months after Epstein was discovered dead in his prison cell, Andrew vehemently denied Giuffre’s allegations and downplayed his relationship with the late Epstein. The late Queen stripped Andrew of his royal patronages and military affiliations in 2021, a year after Giuffre initiated a civil lawsuit against him in the US.
Meanwhile, Bloomberg discovered private emails from Epstein’s Yahoo account in 2025, and the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) found that Andrew continued to communicate with Epstein following his 2010 arrest. Additionally, they showed the two men talking about the publication and dissemination of the notorious picture of Andrew wrapping his arm around Giuffre.