King Charles has officially begun the process of removing all titles and honours from his brother, Prince Andrew, Buckingham Palace has announced.
Andrew will from today be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.
“His Majesty has today initiated a formal process to remove the Style, Titles and Honours of Prince Andrew,” the statement from Buckingham Palace said.
“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.
The statement relates this news to the allegations of sexual abuse by the late Virginia Giuffre.
“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.
“Andrew will also have to move out of the Windsor mansion, the Royal Lodge.”
The announcement was made this morning (NZT).
At this stage, Andrew will reportedly move to a property on the private Sandringham estate in Norfolk, funded by the King.
It is understood that Andrew’s ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, will also move out of Royal Lodge. She is expected to make her own living arrangements.
The BBC reports that Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice will retain their titles, as they are the daughters of the son of a Sovereign.
This decision regarding Andrew’s daughters is said to be in line with King George V’s Letters Patent of 1917.
The announcement comes just weeks after Andrew gave up his other royal titles, including the title of Duke of York and also days after the release of Giuffre’s posthumous memoir Nobody’s Girl.
He was forced to give up his remaining royal titles, including the title of Duke of York, earlier this month after it emerged he had stayed in touch with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein longer than he previously admitted.
A few days ago, it was revealed that the Metropolitan Police is “actively looking into” claims that Andrew passed his alleged teenage sex abuse victim’s private information to his protection officer.
According to a leaked email, the now former prince asked his taxpayer-funded police bodyguard to investigate Giuffre and passed him her date of birth and social security number.
He then told Buckingham Palace aide Ed Perkins, who at the time was Elizabeth II’s deputy press secretary, that he had asked one of his personal protection officers to dig up information about Giuffre.
“We are aware of media reporting and are actively looking into the claims made,” a police spokesperson said.
Andrew could potentially face a criminal investigation in the US for sharing Giuffre’s social security number without her consent.
The family of the late Virginia Giuffre has issued a statement reacting to the announcement from Buckingham Palace.
“Today, an ordinary American girl from an ordinary American family, brought down a British prince with her truth and extraordinary courage,” a statement from her brother Skye and sister-in-law Amanda said.
“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 to 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.”
Giuffre alleged she had sex with Andrew three times when she was a teenager, an allegation the former prince has denied repeatedly.
This is not his only legal worry - he also faces a private prosecution for alleged sexual assault, corruption and misconduct in public office.
The case is being brought by campaign group Republic, which is said to have instructed a law firm to examine evidence and, if justified, initiate legal proceedings.
“I firmly believe there is strong enough evidence to justify a serious investigation. The authorities and politicians appear to want to look the other way, while minimising the accusations made against Andrew. The truth must prevail and justice must be seen to be done,” Republic’s chief executive, Graham Smith, said.
“If not us, then who? It’s a devastating indictment on the UK’s criminal justice system, police and politicians – not to mention the King and heir – that we must resort to a private prosecution. It should be a cause for concern that so many people believe – rightly in my view – that the royals are not treated equally in law. Equality in law is a basic tenet of democracy."
The group’s action follows years of controversy surrounding Andrew’s association with the late US financier and convicted sex offender Epstein.
The controversy has had a deep impact on the royal family. Earlier this week, King Charles was heckled as he met crowds during a visit to Lichfield Cathedral in the Midlands. Upon seeing the King, a man shouted: “How long have you known about Andrew and Epstein?”
Historian and author Andrew Lownie, who this year published a book on Prince Andrew called “Entitled: The rise and fall of the House of York”, says this will not be the end of the troubles for Andrew, or the royal family, on this matter.
Speaking to the BBC, Lownie said the palace is “finally taking some decisive action”, but it won’t be enough as far as public opinion is concerned.
The historian also said this is a “huge humiliation” for Andrew.
“He’s been very depressed about it all, even though he’s been defiant in public,” the author told the BBC.
Lownie was interviewed by Herald NOW earlier this month and warned that this crisis was the “biggest threat to royals” since the abdication in 1936.
“People are pretty appalled that his ex-wife, who he hasn’t been married to for 30 years, is being included in this deal, that we’ve got to kind of pay for her because these are properties owned by the Crown Estates, which are in effect owned by the taxpayer,” he told Herald NOW.
“Unless they can cut themselves loose from Andrew, I think he’s going to bring them down.”