Ex-Prince Andrew Has Lost His Titles but Not His Royal Privileges
Sources reveal what may fuel the next wave of public anger.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor may no longer carry a royal title, but insiders suggest the real source of public anger is still waiting to surface. Stripped of his status, sidelined from public life, and formally distanced from the monarchy, the former Duke of York has paid a visible price. What remains largely unseen, however, is what many believe will ultimately enrage the public far more: the unseen persistence of privilege.
Officially, Mountbatten-Windsor has fallen a long way. Following years of controversy linked to his association with convicted offender Jeffrey Epstein, Buckingham Palace announced last year that he would be stripped of his royal titles and duties. The decision, taken on behalf of King Charles III, 77, was meant to draw a firm line between the monarchy and Mountbatten-Windsor’s conduct. Yet, palace insiders say the punishment has been more cosmetic.
According to sources speaking to OK!, Andrew’s day-to-day reality remains largely insulated from the kind of reckoning the public might expect. One insider claims the true backlash will come not from what he has lost, but from what he continues to enjoy. “Public anger will not be driven by the titles Andrew has surrendered, but by the privileges he continues to enjoy out of sight,” the source said. “The indulgence is still there; it has simply been pushed further into the shadows.”
That disconnect was thrown into sharp relief when a van delivering crates of champagne was reportedly seen unloading outside his Windsor residence. Mountbatten-Windsor’s public fall has undoubtedly embarrassed the Royal Family. Ordered to vacate Royal Lodge and formally demoted, he has become a symbol of institutional damage control. But behind the scenes, insiders suggest the disgraced former Duke of York was far more resistant to giving up the less visible benefits of royal life, and particularly his business interests.
Earlier, Royal expert Barbara Davies, writing for the Daily Mail, noted that one of the most sensitive negotiations surrounding Mountbatten-Windsor’s relocation involved his commercial dealings. According to Davies, Prince William was determined that his uncle sever ties with money-making schemes in exchange for being allowed to live on the Sandringham estate. “Andrew's commercial enterprises have been largely conducted overseas, often out of sight of public scrutiny via dealings with wealthy, mainly foreign, businessmen,” Davies wrote. She added that he was “said to have resisted attempts by the King to get an oversight of his goings-on.”
Another insider also said, “He isn't short of cash, but I suspect we will never know where it came from.” That insistence from King Charles and the Prince of Wales appears, at least on paper, to have had some effect. In November 2025, Mountbatten-Windsor applied to close one of his remaining ventures, Pitch@Palace — the initiative he founded in 2014 to connect start-ups with investors and industry leaders. He previously credited the scheme with helping create 3,000 jobs. According to HELLO!, documents filed with Companies House and signed by Arthur Lancaster, the company’s sole director, show that Pitch@Palace applied to be “struck off and dissolved.” The filing listed former Prince Andrew of Royal Lodge, Windsor, as having “significant influence or control” over the business.
