King Charles III of Britain has stripped his younger brother Prince Andrew of the title of prince. The move is seen as a major decision by the royal family after allegations that Andrew was linked to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein grew into a firestorm.
On the 30th (local time), Buckingham Palace said in a statement, "We have begun the process of stripping Andrew of all titles and styles." As a result, Andrew will lose all official titles and styles, including ▲prince ▲Duke of York ▲Earl of Inverness ▲His Royal Highness, and will be called by his given name and family name, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. He is expected to leave Royal Lodge, a royal residence, and move to Sandringham, a royal estate near London.
Regarding this, the palace said, "Prince Andrew has consistently denied the allegations," but added that it was "a measure to show solidarity and respect for victims and survivors," and that "the king and queen support victims and survivors of all forms of abuse."
The step came as Prince Andrew again drew attention over questions about his ties to Epstein. In 2019, American woman Virginia Giuffre claimed she was introduced to Prince Andrew by Epstein at age 17 and forced into sex. Andrew flatly denied this, but Giuffre's memoir laid out specific details of sexual abuse, causing an uproar.
Epstein later died by suicide in prison that same year, but footage was erased from CCTV at the time, prompting countless conspiracy theories about his death. Giuffre also took her own life in Australia last year at age 41.
After a period of quiet, Andrew's scandal resurfaced this year in the United States as supporters of President Donald Trump urged the release of the Epstein files. As Andrew's name returned to the headlines, some lawmakers in Britain began calling for parliamentary sanctions against him. The government, however, is said to have refused to intervene, citing the convention of separation from the Crown.
Andrew's camp once tried to step down from his titles to escape the controversy, but the attempt fell through. In the end, Charles III moved to act, saying, "We cannot waste time on this matter," and ordering the removal of his brother's styles and the deletion of his name from the rolls of the peerage.
Experts say Charles III's strong will to restore the royal family's moral credibility had a decisive impact on the move. In fact, according to a 2023 survey by the National Centre for Social Research, the share who said "the monarchy is important" was 54%, a sharp drop from 1983 (86%).
After the deprivation of status, Andrew's new residence is set to be a house within the Sandringham estate personally owned by Charles III, and the king will support his brother's livelihood with his private funds. Andrew's place in the line of succession (eighth) will also remain, and his two daughters are expected to keep their existing princess titles. The royal family, however, stressed, "There will be no case where an improper person becomes sovereign."
According to The New York Times (NYT), it is the first time since 1936 that a member of the British royal family has been so abruptly stripped of titles, when Edward VIII announced his marriage to Wallis Simpson, a divorced American woman. In 2020, Prince Harry announced that he and his wife Meghan Markle would move to the United States, but he was not stripped of the dukedom granted by the queen upon their marriage.
After news broke that Andrew's royal status had been stripped, Giuffre's family said in a statement, "Today, an ordinary American girl born to an ordinary American family brought down a British prince with truth and courage."
Andrew is the second son of Queen Elizabeth II and was once called the "face of the royal family," enjoying Elizabeth II's special favor. He gained renown serving as a helicopter pilot in the 1982 Falklands War between Britain and Argentina, but over the ensuing decades became embroiled in controversies over inappropriate remarks and connections, and his social standing fell.
After the Epstein scandal broke, he completely withdrew from royal duties starting in 2019, but suspicion mounted over the large settlement Andrew paid in a damages lawsuit brought by Giuffre in 2022, adding momentum to calls to strip him of his status. On the 27th, a man even rushed an event at Lichfield Cathedral attended by Charles III, causing a commotion as he urged the royal family to act.