King Charles III has initiated a formal process to strip his brother, Prince Andrew, of all royal titles following renewed scrutiny of his links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, reports The WP Times, citing CNN and BBC. Buckingham Palace confirmed that the King approved measures to revoke Andrew’s honors, awards, and noble ranks.
According to the statement, Andrew will henceforth be known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. The Royal Lodge, which he leased for years, once granted him legal protection to remain there. Now, he has been officially instructed to vacate the property and move to a private residence. The palace described these restrictions as “essential,” while Andrew continues to deny all allegations.
Earlier, The Guardian published excerpts from the memoirs of Virginia Giuffre, who claimed that she had sexual relations with Andrew when she was 17. Giuffre said the prince behaved as if intimacy with her was “his birthright.” Andrew has repeatedly denied these claims.
Following public outrage, Andrew renounced all remaining royal titles, including Duke of York, insisting he was “putting duty to family and country first,” yet firmly rejecting the accusations.
Still, CNN reported that the step failed to halt public criticism and triggered questions about how Andrew managed to pay Giuffre a multimillion-dollar settlement in 2022, despite no longer serving as a working royal since 2019. The controversy deepened after revelations that in 2003 Andrew bought the Royal Lodge for $1 million and paid only a symbolic rent “upon the landlord’s request.”
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