King Charles has set out to have his brother Prince Andrew’s final military title removed after he lost his royal title following years of scandals.
“We’ve seen Andrew surrender the military positions that he’s had and we’re looking now at the one remaining position he has, which is the honorary vice admiral position, and we’ve got a process underway for that” to be removed, Defense Secretary John Healey told Britain’s Sky News on Sunday, November 2.
In a separate interview with BBC News, Healey said the decision is a “move the king has indicated we should take.”
Healy shared the plans after Andrew, 65, voluntarily gave up the use of his royal titles in October with Buckingham Palace announcing that his name is now Andrew Mountbatten Windsor in a statement on October 30.
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“His Majesty has today initiated a formal process to remove the Style, Titles and Honours of Prince Andrew,” the palace said in the statement, per People. “Prince Andrew will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.”
In light of the decision, Andrew can no longer sign off as Duke of York, or put “KG” – which stands for a Knight of the Garter – after his name. The “Earl of Inverness,” “Baron Killyleagh” and “Andrew Inverness” have also been removed from his list of titles.
In the recent statement, the palace also explained that Andrew lost his living arrangement 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 said.
The statement concluded, “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.”
Over the years, Andrew has found himself at the center of scandals due to his relationship with convicted criminal Jeffrey Epstein.
Andrew was named in a civil lawsuit in 2016 brought by Virginia Giuffre, who claimed Epstein paid her to have sex with Andrew on several occasions. Andrew repeatedly denied the claims, though he and Giuffre settled the case out of court in 2022 for an undisclosed sum, according to CBS News.
The former royal family member stepped down from his public royal role in 2019 after he discussed his relationship with Epstein in a controversial BBC interview.
Six years later, he gave up his royal titles just days before Giuffre’s posthumous memoir, Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice, was released on October 21. In the book, Giuffre shared even more insight into her alleged experiences with Andrew and Epstein.
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In light of the book’s release, a Buckingham palace source told Sky News that an investigation is needed into “the broader allegations and the issues highlighted” against Andrew.
The insider added that the “new allegations that have been brought up” are of “very serious and grave concern.” The palace believes the claims “should be examined in the proper and fullest way.”
