Britain’s King Charles III has initiated a formal process to strip his brother, Prince Andrew, of royal titles and to remove him from his residence at the Royal Lodge near Windsor, Buckingham Palace announced Thursday. The decision stems from mounting pressure over Andrew’s links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the palace said. According to the statement, Andrew will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.

Titles, Honours and Residence Revoked

British Royal Family Initiates Process to Strip Prince Andrew of Royal Titles

 

Buckingham Palace said that under the King’s Royal Prerogative, it is “initiating a formal process to remove the Style, Titles and Honours of Prince Andrew.” This marks an escalation beyond the earlier surrender of selected titles. The notice served includes a lease termination for Andrew’s home at Royal Lodge; he is expected to move to alternative private accommodation soon. His daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, will retain their titles, the statement clarified.

Context and Consequences

 

The move is set against a backdrop of renewed scrutiny over Andrew’s associations with Jeffrey Epstein and the posthumous memoir of Epstein’s accuser, Virginia Roberts Giuffre. While Andrew continues to deny the allegations against him, the palace said the decision is “deemed necessary” despite his denials. Public and private sentiment has shifted in support of accountability; a senior UK government minister called the decision “the right course of action.”

Andrew’s lease at Royal Lodge reportedly required only a token “peppercorn” annual rent despite being a 30-room mansion close to Windsor Castle. The house has been linked to royal privileges as long as his legal residency rights lasted. The formal notice to vacate ends that arrangement and begins a new chapter for Andrew outside the public duties of the Royal Family.