NEED TO KNOW
- King Charles has ordered for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s final two royal titles to be “cancelled” and “annulled”.
- It follows after he lost his title as Prince and the Duke of York, because of his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
- The former Prince is set to lose his Knight Companion of the Order of the Garter, and will no longer be a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order.
Andrew Mountbatten Windsor – the man formerly known as Prince Andrew – has been stripped of two more titles by King Charles.
Following the loss of his title as Prince in October, he is also no longer a Knight Companion of the Order of the Garter.
Charles has also ordered his Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order to be cancelled and annulled.
The news was initially published in The Gazette.
“THE KING has directed that the appointment of Andrew Albert Christian Edward MOUNTBATTEN-WINDSOR to be a Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, dated 23 April 2006, shall be cancelled and annulled and that his name shall be erased from the Register of the said Order,” the statement about his Order of the Garter.
“THE KING has directed that the appointment of Andrew Albert Christian Edward MOUNTBATTEN-WINDSOR to be a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order, dated 19 February 2011, shall be cancelled and annulled and that his name shall be erased from the Register of the said Order.”
At the time of publication, he still holds his honorary rank as vice-admiral in the Royal Navy, despite the government’s pledge to strip the honour at the King’s request.
That title was bestowed upon him on his 55th birthday in 2015, and the government has the power to remove it.
British Defence Secretary John Healey told the BBC‘s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg that he had previously stated 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 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.
However, The Sun reported that his move out of the grand estate has been delayed until February, because he is “struggling to downsize”.
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.”
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