Prince Andrew is set to lose his “prince” title and vacate his Windsor residence, Royal Lodge. This comes following weeks of mounting scrutiny over his links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Buckingham Palace announced on Thursday that King Charles' brother will now be known simply as ‘Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor'. Earlier this month, Andrew relinquished his remaining royal titles, including Duke of York, BBC reported.
In a posthumous memoir released earlier this month, Virginia Giuffre reiterated her claims that she was forced to have sex with Andrew on three occasions when she was a teenager. Following the latest developments, Giuffre's family praised her, saying she “brought down a British prince with her truth and extraordinary courage.” Giuffre tragically took her own life earlier this year. Andrew has denied the allegations.
In its statement, the Palace said the King "has today initiated a formal process to remove the style, titles and honours of Prince Andrew."
After vacating the Royal Lodge, Andrew is set to move into a private accommodation in Sandringham Estate. According to the BBC, Andrew's new accommodation will be privately funded by King Charles.
"These censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him," the Palace statement continued. The Palace also reaffirmed its support for the victims.
Andrew's daughters, Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice, will continue to keep their royal titles. His ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, will also leave Royal Lodge and arrange her own living accommodations, the BBC report added.
The government was reportedly consulted before the decision to remove Andrew's “Prince” title and confirmed its support for the move.
Amid mounting pressure on the royal family over Andrew's alleged actions, fresh revelations surfaced this week, highlighting that Andrew had hosted Epstein at Royal Lodge in 2006. As per BBC, the incident reportedly took place during Princess Beatrice's birthday celebrations, just two months after a US arrest warrant had been issued for Epstein over the sexual assault of a minor.
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