Andrew Mountbatten Windsor – the man formerly known as Prince Andrew – is set to lose his last remaining honour after King Charles stripped him of both his dukedom and prince title last month.
Ministers in the UK are discussing a move to strip Charles’ brother of his honorary rank of vice-admiral – a title that was bestowed upon him on his 55th birthday in 2015.
British Defence Secretary John Healey told BBC‘s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg that his department was “working to remove” Andrew’s last remaining formal title.
“In general, the Government’s been guided by the decisions and judgments the King has made,” the minister said.
“In defence, it’s exactly the same. And we’ve seen Andrew surrender the honorary positions he’s had throughout the military, and guided again by the King, we are working now to remove that last remaining title of vice-admiral that he has.”
The new development came just days after Buckingham Palace issued an extraordinary statement, in which it was announced it was taking formal action to remove all of Andrew’s royal titles – after a posthumous memoir published by Virginia Giuffre sparked more questions about Andrew’s links to the late paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
“His Majesty has today initiated a formal process to remove the style, titles and honours of Prince Andrew,” the King’s statement read.
“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.”
It was reported that Andrew, 65, will vacate Royal Lodge – the 30-room mansion near Windsor Castle that he’s lived in since 2003 – “as soon as practicable” and instead move to accommodation on the royal Sandringham Estate in Norfolk.
The King will fund Andrew’s move and new living arrangement, with the Guardian reporting that the former Duke could be set to receive a large one-off payment and an annual stipend from his brother.
Andrew’s ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, 66, will also leave Royal Lodge – and make her own living arrangements elsewhere.
Two weeks prior to the bombshell announcement, Andrew had relinquished his Duke of York title.
Sarah Ferguson, who has lived with Andrew at Royal Lodge since 2008, also lost her Duchess title, as it emerged she too maintained a friendship with Epstein.
Despite Andrew and Sarah losing all their royal titles, their daughters, Princess Beatrice, 37, and Princess Eugenie, 35, are unaffected by the change and will retain their titles.
New Idea understands that the King has been fully supported in his action against Andrew by the Prince of Wales and the wider Royal Family.
“It’s a stunning humiliation for Andrew, who was long believed to be the late Queen Elizabeth’s favourite child,” a royal insider tells New Idea.
“It’s a complete fall from grace, and it’s unlikely he’ll be seen publicly, in the future, very often.”
Never miss a story! Sign up to New Idea’s FREE newsletter for royal news and exclusives here.
