NEED TO KNOW
-
Prince Andrew has lost all of his royal titles, including “Prince,” in an unprecedented move by King Charles
-
He will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor and has been ordered to surrender his lease at Royal Lodge
-
The move comes amid renewed scrutiny of Prince Andrew’s ties to late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and ongoing controversy surrounding past allegations
Prince Andrew has officially lost all of his royal titles, including ‘Prince,’ in an unprecedented move by his brother King Charles.
Andrew, 65, will no longer be known as a prince or His Royal Highness among other titles, Buckingham Palace announced on Thursday, Oct. 30. Instead, he will be Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.
“His Majesty has today initiated a formal process to remove the Style, Titles and Honours of Prince Andrew,” the palace said in the statement. “Prince Andrew will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.”
Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty; Steve Parsons – WPA Pool/Getty
Andrew was a prince and had the styling of His Royal Highness since birth as the son of the then-reigning monarch Queen Elizabeth. He was given the title of Duke of York (what he was widely known as), as well as Earl of Inverness and Baron Killyleagh, by his late mother on his wedding day to Sarah Ferguson in 1986.
The honors affected are Andrew’s Order of the Garter and Knight Grand Cross of the Victorian Order.
In addition, Andrew will lose his living arrangements at Royal Lodge in Windsor.
“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,” the palace stated.
“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.
Patrick van Katwijk/Getty
Andrew Mountbatten Windsor and King Charles on Sept. 19, 2022
PEOPLE understands it was King Charles’ decision to remove Andrew’s titles and honors, and he is using his Royal Prerogative, which allows him to manage certain royal titles and honors without involving Parliament.
Although Andrew denies accusations against him, there have been serious lapses of judgment that led to the move, which has the support of the royal family, including Prince William.
The last time a member of the British royal family was formally stripped of a title was with Prince Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale (a German-born British prince) under the Titles Deprivation Act 1917, when his British titles were removed after he swore allegiance to Germany during World War I.
When Andrew’s great-uncle, King Edward VIII, abdicated the throne in December 1936, he was not formally stripped of his royal titles. Instead, his brother King George VI granted him the title Duke of Windsor.
As daughters of the son of a sovereign, Andrew’s children, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, retain their titles in line with King George V’s Letters Patent of 1917.
Can’t get enough of PEOPLE’s Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!
JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP/Getty
Prince Andrew on March 31, 2024.
The news comes after Andrew announced on Friday, Oct. 17, that he would give up the use of his royal titles and other titles and honors amid renewed interest in his relationship to Epstein, who died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal conspiracy and sex trafficking charges. However, he retained the titles at the time and was still known as Prince Andrew.
Andrew stepped back from his public royal role in 2019 following his headline-making BBC interview in which he discussed his relationship with Epstein. Scrutiny has intensified in recent weeks after the posthumous memoir of Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre, who died by suicide in April at 41. In the book, she wrote that Andrew “believed having sex with me was his birthright,” describing three occasions Epstein allegedly arranged for her to meet him beginning at age 17.
Prince Andrew has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
Queen Elizabeth stripped her son of his military titles and patronages in January 2022, after a judge rejected his attempt to have Giuffre’s sexual assault lawsuit against him dismissed. He settled with Giuffre out of court for an undisclosed sum.
Read the original article on People
First Appeared on
Source link
