Buckingham Palace says Britain’s King Charles III has begun the “formal” process of stripping Prince Andrew of his remaining titles and evicting him from the royal residence, the Royal Lodge.
He will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
Andrew, the younger brother of King Charles and the second son of the late Queen Elizabeth II, has faced increasing pressure over his behavior and ties to American sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. Earlier this month, he was forced to stop using his title, Duke of York.
“These condemnations are deemed necessary, despite the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him,” the palace said Thursday.
Giuffre’s Epstein book connects with Andrew
The announcement follows fresh outrage over allegations made against him by one of Epstein’s main accusers.
Virginia Giuffre’s posthumous memoir, “Nobody’s Girl,” went on sale in the United Kingdom last week. In it she said that she had sex with Andrew on three separate occasions.
The first time happened when she was only 17 years old. She wrote that the prince guessed her age correctly and commented that she was the same age as his children.
She said it took place at the London home of Epstein’s longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who she said made her introduction to Andrew possible.
Emails from 2011 also resurfaced this month, showing Andrew had contact with Epstein, while she said she had severed all ties with the pedophile.
Andrew continues to deny claims of sexual abuse made by Giuffre, even after renouncing his official titles.
Giuffre died by suicide in April.
Andrew paid millions to settle a civil lawsuit filed by Giuffre in New York in 2022. She did not admit wrongdoing but acknowledged her suffering as a victim of sex trafficking.
Epstein died by suicide in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sexual abuse charges. He had previously served time for child sex crimes. Maxwell was convicted of sex trafficking in 2021 and sentenced to 20 years in prison for helping abuse teenage girls.
“Her Majesty wishes to make clear that her thoughts and full sympathies are and remain with the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse,” the palace said Thursday.
Andrew has to move out of the Royal Lodge
It is understood that Andrew’s transfer to Sandringham, the private royal estate, will take place “as soon as possible”.
The British media later investigated its finances. many times It is reported that he has not paid the rent on his 30-room mansion in Windsor for two decades, despite spending at least £7.5 million ($10.07 million, €6.4 million) on renovations.
On Wednesday a parliamentary committee questioned whether he should still be there, a rare political intervention.
Andrew’s former wife Sarah Ferguson lost her title as Duchess of York when she gave up her title. They were living together in the Royal Lodge, but now she must find her own accommodation.
Their adult children, Beatrice and Eugenie, would remain princesses.
Edited by: Shawn Sinico