Britain’s King Charles has stripped his younger brother, Prince Andrew, of his royal title and ordered him to vacate his Windsor residence, Buckingham Palace announced Thursday, marking the most decisive move yet to distance the monarchy from the fallout of Andrew’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
The 65-year-old Duke of York, now to be known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, was served formal notice to surrender the lease on his Royal Lodge mansion on the Windsor Estate. The palace said he will move to private accommodation on the Sandringham estate in eastern England.
In a statement, Buckingham Palace said the measures were “necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him.” It added, “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 decision follows years of scrutiny over Andrew’s friendship with Epstein, the late American financier and convicted sex offender. The move comes shortly after Andrew was told to stop using his title of Duke of York earlier this month.
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A palace source told British media that while Andrew maintains his innocence, “there had been serious lapses of judgment.” The source said the king acted with the backing of the wider royal family, including his heir, Prince William.
Charles’s decision, made while he continues cancer treatment, is being described by royal experts as one of the most dramatic disciplinary actions against a family member in modern royal history.
Andrew was forced to step back from public duties in 2019 and lost his military affiliations and patronages in 2022 following allegations of sexual misconduct brought by Virginia Giuffre. He settled her civil lawsuit that same year, though he has always denied wrongdoing.
Giuffre, who died in April, alleged that Andrew sexually abused her when she was a teenager, claims he repeatedly rejected. Her memoir, released posthumously, revived public attention on the case, describing Andrew as “entitled” and believing “it was his birthright to have sex with her.”
Newly resurfaced 2011 correspondence between Andrew and Epstein, published by The Mail on Sunday and The Sun, revealed Andrew writing that they should “keep in close touch” and “play some more soon.”
Andrew’s eviction from Royal Lodge follows reports that he had not paid rent on the 30-room property for nearly two decades, despite initially funding renovations. A parliamentary committee this week questioned whether he should still occupy the estate, intensifying pressure on Buckingham Palace to act.
The royal family has faced similar moments of crisis before. In 1936, King Edward VIII abdicated the throne to marry divorced American Wallis Simpson, later living abroad as the Duke of Windsor.
