Buckingham Palace has moved against Prince Andrew in a sweeping break from royal tradition, announcing that King Charles III has begun the “formal process” to remove his brother’s remaining styles, titles, and honors, and ordering him to surrender the lease on Royal Lodge in Windsor. In the same announcement, the palace said Andrew “will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor,” an extraordinary step that shows how deep the Epstein scandal continues to cut through the monarchy.
The decision lands after years of controversy over Andrew’s friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and renewed outrage following fresh attention on the case. The palace language was blunt: “His Majesty has today initiated a formal process to remove the Style, Titles and Honours of Prince Andrew,” and formal notice has been served for him to “surrender the lease” and move to private accommodation. Multiple outlets reported that the change in style means Andrew is no longer referred to as a prince, while a separate legal step may be required to strip the dukedom in full.
The logistics are already in motion. Andrew has been told to vacate Royal Lodge, the 30-room mansion where he has lived for two decades, and relocate to a smaller residence on the Sandringham estate. Palace sources framed the move as part of a broader effort to restore public trust, noting that the King and Queen expressed “utmost sympathies” for victims and survivors of abuse.
Andrew, 65, has faced allegations of sexual misconduct since 2019, when Virginia Giuffre said she was forced to have sex with him as a teenager. He has denied the allegations. In 2022, he settled Giuffre’s civil lawsuit out of court for an undisclosed sum and pledged a donation to a victims’ charity, a deal that kept the case from going to trial but did not end public scrutiny.
Until now, the late Queen had already stripped Andrew of his military affiliations and royal patronages, and the palace had said he would stop using the style “His Royal Highness.” What changed this month is the scale. The King has pushed through the next round of sanctions, converting a long-running freeze into a permanent separation from royal privilege, and compelling a move out of one of the family’s flagship residences.
Two weeks ago, Andrew indicated he would no longer use certain titles and honors, a prelude to the formal action announced this week. By Thursday, major outlets from Washington to Sydney were carrying nearly identical language from the palace, signaling a coordinated decision that had been in the works for days.
The consequences are personal and public. Losing the prince style is a sharp symbolic blow; the lease order is a practical one that will uproot Andrew from Windsor life. The palace appears resolute, citing the need to align the institution with the values it claims to represent and to show solidarity with those harmed by abuse. For a family that often moves slowly, Thursday’s statement reads like a clean break, and a message that proximity to Epstein comes with a cost that no royal title can shield.
