Andrew will also lose the title of prince

Amid new scrutiny over Andrew’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein, Buckingham Palace says sanctions are considered “necessary.”

Days after Prince Andrew, Duke of York, announced that he will renounce all his royal titles and honors, his brother King Charles III began this Thursday (30/10) the formal process for this exclusion, including that of the title of prince. Andrew justified the decision by claiming that it would prevent the accusations against him from “distracting” the work of the UK royal family.

When he says “accusations”, the Duke of York is now referring to a long list of scandals in which he has been involved in recent years because of his relationship with the American tycoon and convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, as well as with an alleged Chinese spy.

Andrew said he “categorically” denied all allegations and said the decision prioritized his “duty” to his family and his country, as he did five years ago when he retired from public life.

The official distinction of Queen Elizabeth II’s third son will from now on be “Andrew Mountbatten Windsor”, detailed Buckingham Palace, which for the first time omitted the name prince.

According to the statement, Andrew must also abandon his current rental contract at the Royal Lodge mansion, near Windsor Castle (southwest of London), which until now has provided him with “legal protection” to continue residing there. “He has been formally notified that he must resign from his lease and will move to other private accommodation,” the British Royal Household said.

Likewise, the text explains that the sanctions are considered “necessary, despite Andrew continuing to deny the accusations against him” for the sexual scandals arising from his relationship with Epstein.

Buckingham’s statement ends by saying that the King and Queen of England, Charles and Camilla, seek to “make clear that their thoughts and most sincere sympathies are and will continue to be with the victims and survivors of any form of abuse.”

Book

Andrew made the announcement about relinquishing titles on Oct. 17 as excerpts were circulating from the upcoming posthumous memoir by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who alleged she was trafficked by Epstein and forced to have sex with Andrew when she was 17 — allegations the prince has long denied.

Among the titles he renounced were Duke of York and Member of the Order of the Garter, but he intended to retain the title of Prince, as it is something he obtained by birth, being the third son of the late Queen Elizabeth II. However, with Charles’ decision, he will lose that title as well.

This Thursday’s announcement represents the monarch’s definitive step to completely detach the figure of Andrew from the British crown. In recent days, pressure on Charles has increased further after several MPs were willing to open a debate in Parliament about Andrew’s conduct and the possibility of stripping him of his titles.

His ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, will also not continue to use the title of Duchess of York, but her daughters, Beatrice and Eugenia, will keep the title of princesses, according to the British press.

Andrew had already been stripped of his military titles and charitable affiliations, as well as being banned from using the honor of “Your Royal Highness”.

Originally published by DW on 10/31/2025