Prince Andrew has been stripped of his ‘Prince’ title and will vacate his Windsor residence, Royal Lodge, under a sweeping directive issued by King Charles III on Thursday.
In a rare and unprecedented move, Buckingham Palace confirmed that Andrew will henceforth be known simply as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, marking the formal end of his royal status and privileges.
In a statement released on Thursday, Buckingham Palace wrote, “His Majesty has today initiated a formal process to remove the Style, Titles and Honours of Prince Andrew.
“Prince Andrew will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten 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. 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 statement added that the UK government was consulted and it supported the King’s decision.
Andrew, 65, has been given formal notice to vacate Royal Lodge, his longtime residence in Windsor, with plans underway for his relocation to the royal estate at Sandringham, Norfolk.
Sarah Ferguson, the Duke’s former wife, will move out and make separate living arrangements. Ferguson, 66, had remained at Royal Lodge despite their 1996 divorce. Earlier in October, she also lost the title of Duchess of York after Andrew relinquished the Duke of York title, reverting to her maiden name, Sarah Ferguson.
Their daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, will however retain their royal titles. Buckingham Palace confirmed this was in line with King George V’s 1917 Letters Patent, which grants such titles to the children of a son of a sovereign.
Royal historian and author, Andrew Lownie, who recently published “The Rise and Fall of the House of York,” described the decision as “a huge humiliation” for Andrew.
“They’re finally getting ahead of the story, but this isn’t the end of it,” Lownie told the BBC.
“The Palace is finally taking some decisive action, but it won’t completely satisfy the public disquiet. He’s been very depressed about it all, even though he’s been defiant in public.”
LEADERSHIP reports that the move followed renewed scrutiny of Andrew’s ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, after 2011 emails surfaced showing contact between the two months after Andrew claimed to have ended the friendship.
The fallout intensified after a posthumous memoir by Virginia Giuffre, who died earlier in 2025, reiterated her allegations that she was forced to have sex with Andrew as a teenager, claims he has always denied.
In a statement issued Thursday, Virginia Giuffre’s family hailed the King’s action as a measure of justice for their late sister.
“Today, an ordinary American girl from an ordinary American family brought down a British prince with her truth and extraordinary courage,” said her brother Skye Roberts and sister-in-law Amanda Roberts.
“Virginia Roberts Giuffre, our sister, a child when she was sexually assaulted by Andrew, never stopped fighting for accountability for what had happened to her and countless other survivors like her.
“Today, she declares victory. We, her family, along with her survivor sisters, continue Virginia’s battle and will not rest until the same accountability applies to all of the abusers and abettors connected to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.”
Despite losing his titles and home, Buckingham Palace confirmed that Andrew remains eighth in line to the throne, following thr children of his younger brother Prince Harry – Archie and Lilibet.
