Key Points:
Prince Andrew stripped of all royal titles and honours by King Charles III.
Prince Andrew will leave Royal Lodge and will now be called Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.
Public scrutiny intensifies as his past links with Jeffrey Epstein come to light.
King Charles III has taken the biggest step a royal king has undertaken in modern British history. The King of the United Kingdom has stripped his younger brother, Prince Andrew, of all royal titles and honours on October 30, 2025, over his links with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
With increasing public pressure over his connection and relationship with Epstein, he had earlier lost his ‘Duke of York’ title. Now, in a recent revelation, the King has himself taken the difficult decision of removing his own brother from the Windsor Estate.
According to a Buckingham Palace statement, Prince Andrew is no longer a prince. He will now be referred to as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. The statement further states that Andrew has been directed to surrender his lease of his Royal Lodge mansion on the Windsor Estate, west of London.
The palace also said in their released statement that their Majesties have shared their thoughts with the victims who have been subjected to abuse. “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,” the palace said.
This recent announcement comes after a report indicated that the 65-year-old prince, Jeffrey Epstein, his girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, and former film producer and convicted sex offender Harvey Weinstein were together at the Royal Lodge in 2006. The occasion for their appearance at a royal event was the birthday of Princess Beatrice, daughter of Andrew Windsor.
Andrew, who was once second in line to the royal throne, is expected to move to the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk County. The private estate is owned by King Charles III, and some reports even suggest that the former prince might receive financial aid from the King himself.
The allegations against Andrew have been following him for years, even though he has denied them repeatedly. The serious accusations, which were also raised by Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre, have solidified permanently due to the viral photograph showing Andrew’s hands around Giuffre’s waist along with Maxwell.
She even wrote in her latest memoir, Nobody’s Girl, about the former prince, where she called him “entitled.” She wrote that the former Duke of York believed that it was his "birth right" to have sex with her.
The Epstein scandal and the late sex offender’s name will forever be a part of British royal history. The dark past of Epstein and Andrew has even followed his brother.
Earlier this week, during a cathedral visit in London, King Charles was heckled by a protester who asked him whether he was aware of his brother’s friendship with the late sex offender. The protester asked, “How long have you known about Andrew and Epstein?”
He also questioned the King on whether he had directed the police to cover up the scandal. The King ignored the mockery directed towards him and moved on, continuing to acknowledge the public.
From being the holder of a royal title for decades to now being stripped of his honours, Andrew’s indiscretions have placed him under intense public scrutiny. Has his recent exile made him a source of monumental ridicule for the British royal family in contemporary times?
Andrew met Epstein for the first time in 1999 through the latter’s then-girlfriend, Maxwell. Even after the late sex offender was convicted in 2008 in the United States for paying a minor for sexual intercourse, the former prince was photographed with him a year later, in 2010.
He has repeatedly claimed that he broke all ties with Epstein in 2010, but another shocking revelation was unearthed recently. His private emails from his royal email account, dated February 28, 2011, were leaked.
The email indicated how close their relationship was, as the former prince expressed his concern through the message. He consoled his alleged friend by telling him that they were in this together and would “rise above it” one day. He further wrote, “Otherwise keep in close touch and we’ll play some more soon!!!!”
[Rh]
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