Overnight, Buckingham Palace have confirmed Prince Andrew will now only be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor – after his brother King Charles initiated the process of stripping the disgraced royal of his titles.
But despite losing his four titles which include Prince, the Duke of York, the Earl of Inverness and Baron Killyleagh – Andrew shockingly will remain eighth in line to the throne, ahead of his sister Princess Anne who is currently 17th in the order of succession.
This strange snubbing of Anne, who is regarded as the hardest-working royal, has been caused by a succession rule that gives preferences to sons over daughters.
And while Anne is no closer to being crowed as Queen, she’s showing no signs of reducing her workload, which includes a four-day tour of Australia starting on November 8.
While down under, Princess Anne will be attending a series of military engagements in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane to commemorate 100 years of the Royal Australian Corps of Signals – which she has been the Colonel-in-Chief of for 48 years.
Meanwhile, her younger brother Andrew will no longer be addressed as ‘His Royal Highness’.
“His Majesty has today initiated the formal process to remove the Style, Titles and Honours of Prince Andrew,” Buckingham Palace confirmed in a statement.
“Prince Andrew will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. His lease on Royal Lodge has, to date, provided him with legal protection to continue in residence.”
“Formal notice has now been served to surrender the lease and he will move to alternative private accommodation. These censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him.”
WHY IS ANDREW LOSING HIS TITLES?
King Charles made the decision to strip his disgraced younger brother of all of his titles due to Andrew’s alleged connections with convicted paedophile and high-profile New York financier, Jeffrey Epstein.
In 2014, Virginia Giuffre alleged Epstein had sex-trafficked her to Andrew when she was 17-years-old.
Extracts from her memoir, Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice that was published posthumously earlier this year alleged Virginia was trafficked three times to Andrew for sex.
She also claimed the disgraced prince viewed sex as an “entitlement” and his “birthright”.
Andrew has always denied any wrongdoing – and paid an undisclosed sum to Virginia without admission of liability following a civil lawsuit in February 2022.
WHERE WILL ANDREW LIVE?
As part of the process, Andrew has been forced to surrender his lease at the Royal Lodge and will be required to move out as soon as possible.
It is believed Andrew is not fighting the decision to leave the 30-room mansion where he has lived rent-free for the last two decades with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson.
According to The Sun, Andrew is insisting on moving into Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s former home, Frogmore Cottage.
Meanwhile, Fergie will need to sort out her own accommodation – and is reportedly eyeing off Adelaide Cottage once Prince William and Princess Kate move out next month.
“Sarah and Andy have lived together at Royal Lodge since 2008 despite being divorced and seem like they are still a married couple,” a friend close to Andrew and Fergie told The Sun.
“It’s incredible that they are willing to go their own separate ways. But it indicates that they have been under immense strain this year and need a break from one another. It’s a fresh start for both.”
WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO PRINCESS BEATRICE AND EUGENIE?
While Charles continues to strip Andrew of his title, Andrew’s daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie will both remain ‘Her Royal Highnesses’ as granddaughters of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
“King Charles wouldn’t have wanted to sign off on anything that would impact them,” an insider told the Daily Mail.
According to sources close to the royal family, Beatrice, 37, and Eugenie, 35, are “barely holding it together” amid their parents’ fall from grace, and have quietly left the UK for a break.
But despite the continuing fallout, both princesses have been reassured by their cousin Prince William that they are blameless .
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
