Britain’s King Charles has stripped his younger brother Andrew of his prince title and evicted him from his Windsor home, Buckingham Palace said Thursday. The king wants to distance the royal family from Andrew because of his connections to the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. Andrew, 65 years old, is Charles’s younger brother and was the second son of the late Queen Elizabeth. He has been under growing pressure for years because of his behaviour and his ties to Epstein, who was a sex offender before he died.
Earlier this month, Andrew had to stop using his Duke of York title. Now, Charles has gone much further by stripping him of all his titles. From now on he’ll just be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. The palace said a formal notice has been served on Andrew telling him he has to give up his Royal Lodge mansion on the Windsor Estate west of London. He’ll move to different private housing on the Sandringham estate in eastern England.
Palace Says Thoughts Are with Abuse Victims
The decision comes from a king who is still receiving regular cancer treatment and represents one of the most dramatic actions taken against a member of the royal family in modern British history. “These censures are considered necessary, even though he still denies the allegations against him,” said the palace. They added, “Their Majesties wish to make clear that their thoughts and fullest sympathies have been, and will continue to be with, the victims and survivors of all and any form of abuse.”
Andrew had once been viewed as a dashing naval officer and served in the military during the Falklands War with Argentina in the early 1980s. But he was forced to step down from a UK trade ambassador role in 2011. He quit all royal duties in 2019 and then got stripped of his military connections and royal sponsorships in 2022 because of sexual misconduct allegations that he’s always denied.
Settled Lawsuit but Denies Everything
In 2022, Andrew settled a lawsuit by the late Virginia Giuffre, who died in April and accused him of sexually abusing her when she was a teenager. Andrew always denied her story, which recently came back into the spotlight with the release of her book in which she says “entitled” Andrew felt it was his birthright to have sex with her. In a statement, Giuffre’s family said they would “continue Virginia’s battle” and that all abusers connected to Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell need to be held accountable.
Letters between Andrew and Epstein from 2011 were published earlier this month in which Andrew told Epstein they should “keep in close touch” and “play some more soon.” A palace source said while Andrew continues to deny the accusations, it’s clear there were serious lapses in judgment. The source said Charles made the decision but had support from the wider family, including Prince William who’s next in line for the throne. Newspapers reported Andrew hadn’t paid rent on his 30-room mansion for two decades after initially paying for renovations.
News At Glance
- King Charles stripped his brother Andrew of all royal titles over the Epstein scandal
- Andrew was forced to leave Windsor home and move to Sandringham estate
- will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor without the Prince title
- Andrew settled the 2022 lawsuit with Virginia Giuffre but denies all allegations
- King decided with support from the wider royal family including Prince William
FAQs
Q: Why did King Charles take away Andrew’s titles?
A: Due to the connections of Andrew with Jeffrey Epstein and subsequent sexual abuse allegations. The king wants to distance the royal family from the scandal.
Q: What titles did Andrew lose?
A: He lost his Prince title and earlier lost his Duke of York title; he’ll now be called Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.
Q: Where will Andrew live now?
A: He has to leave his Royal Lodge mansion on the Windsor Estate and move to private housing on the Sandringham estate in eastern England.
Q: What were the allegations against Andrew?
A: Giuffre accused him of sexually abusing her when she was a teenager; Andrew settled her lawsuit in 2022 but has always denied the accusations.
Q: Did other royals support this decision?
A: Yes – a palace source said King Charles had support from the wider family, including Prince William, who’s next in line for the throne.
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