The British monarchy will remove Prince Andrew’s title of “prince,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement Thursday that said he will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, as the now-former royal deals with the fallout from his past relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Key Takeaways
- The British Royal Family began the process of stripping Andrew of his “Style, Titles and Honours,” according to the statement, almost two weeks after he voluntarily relinquished his Duke of York title and other honors.
- Andrew will also be required to surrender his lease on the Royal Lodge and move to “private accommodations,” according to the statement, and the BBC later reported he will move to an estate in Sandringham funded privately by his brother, King Charles III.
- Andrew has long denied the allegations levied against him by Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre, but the Royal Family said these “censures were deemed necessary” against the former prince.
Crucial Quote
The Royal Family said it wanted 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.” Andrew was accused of sexual assault by Giuffre, who claimed Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell trafficked her to the former prince. Giuffre died by suicide in April, but her memoir was published posthumously, drawing fresh scrutiny to her claims about Andrew.
Key Background
Andrew was one of several powerful men Giuffre accused Epstein and Maxwell of trafficking her to when she was underage, and she sued the former royal seeking damages for sexual assault in 2021. Before the case was scheduled to go to trial, Andrew stepped back from his duties as a working royal in 2019, and his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, stripped him of his military titles in 2022. The former prince consistently denied the allegations against him, but eventually settled with Giuffre for an undisclosed sum that same year. British media later reported the settlement was as high as $12-$15 million.
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This story was originally published on forbes.com and all figures are in USD.
