Ex-Prince Andrew Hands Over Gun License After Police Visit at Windsor Home
Another door has shut behind Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, and this time it was not very surprising. The former Duke of York has voluntarily surrendered his shotgun licence after a visit from the police. The visit, by Metropolitan Police firearms licensing officers, was made last month to Mountbatten-Windsor's Royal Lodge residence in Windsor. In a statement, the force said officers attended the address on November 19 "to ask that a man in his 60s voluntarily surrender his firearms and shotgun certificate." It confirmed that the certificate was handed over, adding police would not comment further "at this stage."
While the Met hasn't explained what occasioned the request, its implications seem clear. The 65-year-old is no longer legally permitted to use and transport firearms on his own; any access he still has will be closely monitored, and any decision regarding this matter in the future will be communicated to Mountbatten-Windsor. Notably, the firearms themselves have not been seized and will continue to be stored on the Windsor estate.
Mountbatten-Windsor has a long-held passion for shooting, the absence of which signifies a significant shift. During his infamous 2019 Newsnight interview with Emily Maitlis, he had mentioned shooting as a way of refuting allegations that he hosted a party for Ghislaine Maxwell, who has since been convicted of child sexual trafficking. His defense of the weekend alleged to contain the party, was a shooting weekend, a description that has stuck with the public as a synonym for Mountbatten-Windsor’s lack of understanding of the magnitude of the alleged crimes.
He was once a familiar presence at elite shooting weekends, and those close to him say the loss has hit hard. “It’s a real blow to him,” a source said. The disgraced former prince had regularly hosted shooting gatherings at Windsor, Sandringham, and Balmoral, but has not been seen at any such events since his brother, the King, formally stripped him of his titles. Now, in what caps a bruising year, Andrew is only permitted to use or transport his shotguns if he is accompanied and closely monitored. As one source told The Sun, “He will be under strict supervision. It is a real blow.”
Earlier, he was also known to take part in high-profile sports activities, such as participating in the royal squad for the clay pigeon shoot at the Celebrity Challenge event initiated by Jackie Stewart in 1986, a time during which it seemed that he was a steadfast element within the monarchy.
Times have changed for the better or worse, depending on where you stand. He has been officially deprived of his princeship and HRH title this year due to the ongoing repercussions of his connection with Jeffrey Epstein, and “The Palace had to get it right this time to restore public confidence, and they have done so,” Emily Nash, who is HELLO!'s Royal Editor. “The King has made clear that he is calling the shots.” Crucially, she noted, the statement also acknowledged the wider human cost of the scandal, with the King condemning Andrew’s “serious lapses of judgement” and affirming that his and the Queen’s sympathies “have been and remain with the victims and survivors of abuse.”