In a historic and unprecedented move, King Charles III has stripped Prince Andrew of all his remaining royal titles and evicted him from the Royal Lodge, following intensifying public and political pressure over his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Buckingham Palace confirmed on Thursday that the king had “initiated a formal process to remove the Style, Titles and Honours of Prince Andrew.” The decision means Andrew will now be known simply as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, without the style of “His Royal Highness,” and will relocate from his longtime Royal Lodge residence to “private accommodation.”
The move marks one of the most dramatic disciplinary actions within the British royal family in modern history. The last time a royal lost their princely title was in 1919, when Prince Ernest Augustus was stripped of his titles for supporting Germany during World War I.
Calls for action grew louder after Andrew recently relinquished the title Duke of York, amid renewed attention on his friendship with Epstein and sexual abuse allegations by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, whose posthumous memoir was released last week.
In a statement, the palace said:
“These censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him. 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 decision signals King Charles’s determination to protect the monarchy’s integrity and distance it from scandal.