Why UK’s Prince Andrew lost his princely title – and his stately home

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The United Kingdom’s King Charles III has stripped his brother, Andrew, of the title of prince and ordered him to permission his lavish residence adjacent Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace announced connected Thursday. Observers accidental the Palace is yet taking decisive enactment implicit Andrew’s connections to the precocious enactment offender, Jeffrey Epstein, and allegations that the 2 men sexually abused Virginia Giuffre erstwhile she was a teenager.

Andrew, 65, the 2nd lad of the precocious Queen Elizabeth and younger member of King Charles, has faced increasing scrutiny implicit his idiosyncratic behaviour and ties to Epstein. Earlier this month, helium was pressured into giving up his rubric of Duke of York.

“I person decided, arsenic I ever have, to enactment my work to my household and state first. I basal by my determination 5 years agone to basal backmost from nationalist life,” Andrew said astatine the time. He besides said helium “vigorously den[ies] the accusations” against him.

Buckingham Palace hopes to beryllium seen arsenic taking a decisive step, drafting a enactment aft years of compromising scandals. In 2022, Andrew was removed from galore royal duties owed to his connections to Epstein.

How did Andrew’s ties to Epstein travel to light?

Born successful 1960, Andrew was erstwhile 1 of the much fashionable members of the British royal family, known for his subject work arsenic a chopper aviator during the Falklands War successful 1982.

For years, however, Andrew’s idiosyncratic antics person generated embarrassing headlines, investigating the patience of the royal family. In 2024, for instance, tribunal documents revealed that a adjacent advisor connected Andrew’s concern affairs was a suspected Chinese spy.

But it was Andrew’s persistent ties to Jeffrey Epstein that yet forced King Charles’s manus and led to Andrew stepping down from his royal duties successful 2019. Epstein died by suicide successful a US situation successful 2019 portion awaiting proceedings connected enactment trafficking charges.

In 2021, Virginia Giuffre – 1 of the astir salient accusers of Epstein – filed a lawsuit alleging rape and intersexual maltreatment against then-Prince Andrew. She claimed she had been forced to person enactment with him connected aggregate occasions erstwhile she was 17, a insignificant nether US law.

Prince Andrew has ever denied Giuffre’s allegations, adjacent insisting that a now-infamous photograph that appeared to amusement them unneurotic had been doctored. But successful 2022, helium agreed to settee the lawsuit, costing him arsenic overmuch arsenic $16m.

Virginia Giuffre died by termination successful April this year. She was 41 years old.

Earlier this month, British newspapers reported that Andrew had emailed Epstein successful February 2011 – much than 2 months aft the prince told the BBC helium had severed each ties with his erstwhile associate.

The email was sent astatine a clip of heightened media sum of the Epstein scandal, with Andrew telling Epstein they were “in this together” and would “have to emergence supra it”.

These disclosures yet prompted Buckingham Palace’s effect connected Thursday.

What has Buckingham Palace said?

In a connection released connected Thursday night, Buckingham Palace said the King’s member is present to beryllium known arsenic Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.

He volition nary longer beryllium styled “Prince” oregon “His Royal Highness (HRH)” and helium has mislaid his dukedom, earldom, barony, subject ranks and royal patronages.

It besides announced that helium is to beryllium evicted from his residence, the sprawling Royal Lodge that was erstwhile location to the Queen Mother, adjacent Windsor Castle, westbound of London.

“His lease connected Royal Lodge has, to date, provided him with ineligible extortion to proceed successful residence. Formal announcement has present been served to surrender the lease and helium volition determination to alternate backstage accommodation,” the palace connection said.

“These censures are deemed necessary… Their Majesties privation to marque wide that their thoughts and utmost sympathies person been, and volition stay with, the victims and survivors of immoderate and each forms of abuse,” it added.

A palace root said the determination was taken by King Charles, but that helium had the enactment of the wider family, including heir-to-the-throne Prince William, successful a bid to bounds reputational risks to the monarchy.

Elsewhere, civilization caput Lisa Nandy told the BBC’s Question Time programme that the king’s latest determination was a “truly brave, important, and close step”, sending a “powerful message” to survivors of intersexual abuse.

Why has Andrew been evicted from Royal Lodge?

In caller weeks, the British property has been rife with speculation astir Andrew’s finances aft The Times paper reported connected October 21 that helium had not paid rent connected his 30-room mansion – known arsenic Royal Lodge – for 2 decades.

It was revealed that helium had a lease connected the spot stipulating a “peppercorn rent”: In instrumentality for carrying retired renovations and maintaining the mansion, Andrew was paying a rent of “one peppercorn” each year.

In a uncommon governmental intervention, a British parliamentary committee connected Wednesday questioned whether Andrew should inactive beryllium surviving successful the house, which is owned by the monarch and located 5km (3 miles) southbound of Windsor Castle.

On October 28, the BBC besides revealed that Prince Andrew had hosted Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell – Epstein’s associate, aboriginal jailed for enactment trafficking – and Harvey Weinstein, the disgraced movie shaper convicted of rape, astatine Royal Lodge.

The 3 visited Andrew’s location successful 2006 to observe his daughter’s 18th birthday, conscionable 2 months aft a United States apprehension warrant had been issued for Epstein implicit the intersexual battle of a minor.

Where volition Andrew unrecorded now?

It is understood that Andrew volition determination to a spot connected the backstage Sandringham Estate successful Norfolk, which volition beryllium privately funded by his brother, the king.

The wider Sandringham Estate covers astir 8,100 hectares (20,000 acres) with 240 hectares (600 acres) of gardens, and the Palace has not stipulated which spot helium volition enactment in.

It is besides understood that Andrew’s determination to Sandringham volition instrumentality spot “as soon arsenic practicable”.

His ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson – who inactive lives astatine Royal Lodge with him – volition besides determination retired of Royal Lodge and marque her ain surviving arrangements.

Have different royals successful the UK been stripped of their titles successful the past?

The stripping of Prince Andrew’s royal titles by King Charles III is antithetic successful modern British history.

Other royals person relinquished titles voluntarily – specified arsenic Princess Diana giving up HRH pursuing her divorcement from King Charles – and King Edward VIII, who abdicated from the throne successful 1936 to wed Wallis Simpson, an American pistillate who had been divorced twice.

Others person mislaid their privileges for governmental reasons – specified arsenic Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, for siding with Germany successful World War I – but determination has not been a lawsuit of a reigning monarch oregon contiguous household being stripped of their presumption for scandal-related reasons.

In that sense, Andrew’s lawsuit is the astir superior demotion of a elder British royal successful caller memory.

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