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New Delhi: The King of the United Kingdom, Charles III, has stripped Prince Andrew of his royal titles and honours over his alleged ties with late sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein. Andrew is the king's younger brother and the second son of the late Queen Elizabeth.
Andrew has been ordered to vacate his Windsor residence, Royal Lodge, and this comes after a prolonged period of intense pressure and public scrutiny over his links to Epstein. Henceforth, Prince Andrew will be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. Andrew has been given a formal notice to surrender the lease of his Royal Lodge mansion on the Windsor Estate.
According to reports, the royal palace said, "These censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him. 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."
Virginia Giuffre, a key accuser of Jeffrey Epstein, repeated her sexual assault allegations against Prince Andrew, which triggered a fresh wave of criticism against the former member of the UK royal family.
In her memoir, published posthumously, Giuffre claimed that Epstein allegedly trafficked her to have sex with Prince Andrew on three occasions, and on two occasions, she was just 17 years old. The 65-year-old former member of the royal family has consistently denied her allegations.
In November 2019, he tried to defend himself in a BBC interview, and the subsequent widespread criticism compelled him to withdraw from royal duties. Giuffre filed a civil suit against Andrew in New York, and in 2022, he reached a multimillion pound out-of-court settlement. Despite not admitting to his crime, Andrew expressed his regret for Giuffre's sufferings.
Andrew met Epstein through the latter's then-partner Ghislaine Maxwell, daughter of media tycoon and former MP Robert Maxwell in 1999. They formed a close friendship, even after Epstein was convicted for procuring a minor for prostitution. In June 2025, a New York court sentenced Maxwell to 20 years in prison for her role in providing teenage girls to Epstein. Reportedly, Andrew hosted Epstein at Royal Lodge during his daughter Beatrice’s birthday celebrations in 2006, a couple of months after the US government issued an arrest warrant for Epstein.
Andrew and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, will now have to relocate to private properties. The king will give him a private allowance, and he has to arrange for any additional income. However, Andrew’s daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, will retain their royal titles, and he remains eighth in line to the throne.
