King Charles Strips Andrew of All Titles Including 'Prince' — He Now Has a Completely Different Name
In the face of mounting pressure, King Charles has removed every title and honor from his brother, ending Andrew’s decades-long royal identity.
In an unprecedented move, King Charles finally made the tough decision that experts often claimed the royal family wouldn’t, as it would 'disrepute' the monarchy. The monarch has stripped his disgraced brother of all his royal titles, including ‘Prince.’ From now on, he will go by the name of ‘Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.’
Buckingham Palace confirmed the decision on Thursday, describing it as part of a formal process to remove Andrew’s 'style, titles and honors.' The statement also noted that his lease at Royal Lodge, the Windsor residence he has occupied for years, will be terminated. “Formal notice has now been served to surrender the lease, and he will move to alternative private accommodation,” the Palace said, calling the step 'necessary' despite Andrew’s continued denial of the allegations against him. "These censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him," the statement read.
They added, “Their Majesties wish to make clear that their thoughts and utmost sympathies have been, and will remain with, the victims and survivors of all forms of abuse.” The removal of powers is a constitutional exercise of the King’s Royal Prerogative, a power allowing him to act independently of Parliament on certain matters. According to sources, Charles personally decided to invoke this authority, the PEOPLE reported.
For Andrew, 65, this marks the end of the identity he has carried since birth. As the son of Queen Elizabeth II, he was born a prince and styled His Royal Highness, later becoming the Duke of York on his marriage to Sarah Ferguson in 1986. Those honors, along with his positions as Earl of Inverness, Baron Killyleagh, Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order, and member of the Order of the Garter, have now been rescinded.
The rare stripping of titles places Andrew in a historically uncomfortable category. The last comparable case dates back more than a century, to 1917, when King George V invoked the Titles Deprivation Act to remove honors from relatives who sided with Germany during World War I. Even King Edward VIII, who abdicated the throne in 1936 to marry Wallis Simpson, retained his ‘His Royal Highness’ style and was given the title Duke of Windsor.
However, under King George V’s 1917 Letters Patent, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie remain titled as daughters of a son of a sovereign. Their status, for now, is unaffected by their father’s fall from grace. Additionally, Andrew's place in the line of succession has not changed.
On October 17, Andrew announced he would give up all his titles after discussing with his brother, the King. It was followed by a dark few weeks for him and the monarchy, as the backlash grew over his past associations with Jeffrey Epstein following the release of a posthumous memoir by his accuser, Virginia Giuffre.
