Britain’s King Charles has stripped his younger brother, Andrew, of his title as prince and ordered him to leave his home in Windsor, Buckingham Palace announced Thursday.
The move seeks to further distance the royal family from Andrew’s ties to the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.
Andrew, 65, the second son of the late Queen Elizabeth II, has faced increasing scrutiny over his relationship with the late sex offender Epstein. Earlier this month, he was ordered to stop using his title Duke of York.
The king has now taken tougher action by removing all of Andrew’s remaining titles, meaning he will henceforth be known simply as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.
According to the palace, a formal notice has been issued requiring him to give up the lease on his Royal Lodge mansion on the Windsor Estate. He is expected to move to private accommodation on the Sandringham estate in eastern England.
The decision, which comes as King Charles continues his cancer treatment, is considered one of the most decisive actions taken against a senior royal in modern British history.
“These censures are considered necessary, even though he continues to deny the allegations against him,” the palace said. “Their Majesties wish to make it clear that their thoughts and deepest condolences have been and will continue to be with the victims and survivors of each and every form of abuse.”
Andrew, once celebrated as a handsome naval officer, served in the Falklands War in the early 1980s. However, his public image has been steadily declining since he resigned as UK trade ambassador in 2011.
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He subsequently retired from all royal duties in 2019 and lost his military titles and royal patronages in 2022 following allegations of sexual misconduct, which he has consistently denied.
In 2022, he settled a lawsuit brought by Virginia Giuffre, who died in April, that accused him of sexually abusing her when she was a teenager. Andrew has always denied his account, which recently resurfaced with the publication of his memoirs.
In her book, she said that Andrew “entitledly” believed he had a birthright to have sex with her.
Earlier this month, 2011 correspondence between Andrew and Epstein, published by the Mail on Sunday and The Sun, showed Andrew telling Epstein that they should “keep in close contact” and would “play some more soon.”
(Reuters)
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