Royal Fans Spot Awkward Error Palace Made With Prince Andrew’s Place in Line of Succession
On October 17, Prince Andrew announced that he would be relinquishing his royal titles following a private discussion with King Charles. The move was a bid at damage control, which many saw coming. However, despite the media frenzy surrounding the announcement, the royal family failed to update their website, leaving his former title intact. On the page outlining the royal line of succession, Andrew is still referred to as the ‘Duke of York' in an embarrassing oversight.
However, entries with his former title in other pages were swiftly scrubbed on the Royal.UK website. In the succession column, Andrew appears 8th in line to the throne, much behind Prince William, Prince Harry, and their children. It reads: "1. The Prince of Wales, 2. Prince George of Wales, 3. Princess Charlotte of Wales, 4. Prince Louis of Wales, 5. The Duke of Sussex, 6. Prince Archie of Sussex, 7. Princess Lilibet of Sussex, 8. The Duke of York."
The decision to list Andrew with his former title may also be attributed to the fact that while he legally retains the honor, he can no longer use it for any official capacity. Additionally, he will always also be a Prince, given he's the late Queen Elizabeth’s second son. His main page on the website reads, "On 13 January 2022, Buckingham Palace announced that, with Queen Elizabeth II's approval and agreement, Prince Andrew’s military affiliations and Royal patronages would be returned to Her late Majesty, and The Prince would not return to public duties." However, the page failed to update his current decision to drop his Duke of York title after discussing the same with Charles.
Andrew and Sarah Ferguson were granted their prestigious York titles in 1986 upon their marriage by the late Queen. Although the couple divorced in 1996, Ferguson was allowed to retain her title. After Andrew decided to relinquish his, she automatically lost hers, which was reflected on her social media. Royal watchers noted that Ferguson changed her X (formerly Twitter) handle from @SarahTheDuchess to @sarahMFergie15. However, her Instagram handle, @SarahFerguson15, remains the same, as it never included the title. While Ferguson has not directly commented on the scandal, she was reportedly quite fond of her title, using it to sell children’s and romance books.
Following Ferguson and Andrew’s scathing leaked emails with Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced Prince announced via a statement from Buckingham Palace, "In discussion with The King, and my immediate and wider family, we have concluded the continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family. I have decided, as I always have, to put my duty to my family and country first...I will therefore no longer use my title or the honors which have been conferred upon me."