King Charles III has begun the official process to strip Prince Andrew of his royal titles and honours, and the royal household has served him notice to vacate his residence at Royal Lodge, according to Buckingham Palace.
On 17 October, Andrew declared that he would relinquish his titles amid renewed allegations related to his relationship with convicted s3x offender Jeffrey Epstein. The announcement came just days ahead of the posthumous memoir of Epstein accu:ser Virginia Giuffre who claimed Andrew engaged in s3xual activity with her on three occasions when she was a minor claims which Andrew denies.
In a statement released on 30 October, Buckingham Palace declared:
“His Majesty has today initiated a formal process to remove the Style, Titles and Honours of Prince Andrew.
His lease on Royal Lodge has, to date, provided him with legal protection to continue in residence.
Formal notice has now been served to surrender the lease and he will move to alternative private accommodation. These censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him.”
Andrew, who shares the 30-room Royal Lodge estate with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson under a lease running until 2078, is believed to be relocating to a property on the private Sandringham Estate in Norfolk. The move, funded privately by King Charles, is predicted to happen as soon as possible. Going forward, Andrew will be known as “Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.”
The titles and honours being revoked include:
- Prince
- Duke of York
- Earl of Inverness
- Baron Killyleagh
- His Royal Highness
- Order of the Garter
Knight Grand Cross of the Victorian Order
The palace noted that the King’s decision stems from what were deemed “serious lapses” in Andrew’s judgment, given the intensifying public scrutiny over his association with Epstein.
In her memoir, Giuffre—who di:ed by sui:cide in April at age 41—alleged that Andrew, Epstein and other girls engaged in s3xual acts, claiming the other girls “all appeared to be under the age of 18 and didn’t really speak English.” Earlier, Andrew had settled a U.S. civil case with Giuffre in February 2022 for an undisclosed amount, widely reported to be around £12 million, while continuing to deny any wrongdoing.
