King Charles III Initiates Formal Steps to Strip Prince Andrew of Royal Titles

King Charles III is initiating measures to revoke his brother Andrew Mountbatten Windsor’s royal designations, a move that comes six years after the initial allegations were made against the former duke.

Us Weekly understands that Charles made a determination favoring the most expedient method to strip the titles, in light of recent developments following Andrew’s controversies and connections to Jeffrey Epstein, including assertions detailed in Virginia Giuffre’s book. The monarch also sought legal counsel and consulted with other family members before proceeding.

Andrew had announced earlier in October his intention to relinquish the use of his “HRH” honorific and the Duke of York title, among others, but the legal procedure is not as straightforward.

With Charles’ new directives, he must essentially remove Andrew’s name from the Peerage Roll to ensure the title cannot be formally invoked. When Andrew agreed to cease using his esteemed titles, there had been no official amendment to the legal register until now.

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Charles will now dispatch Royal Warrants to the Lord Chancellor to secure the official removal of the titles from the document, which will preclude Andrew from being referred to as the Duke of York, Prince Andrew, and from receiving a “His Royal Highness” moniker. The warrants will also impact Andrew’s subordinate titles in other nations. Andrew is now known solely as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.

The monarch also opted to utilize Royal Warrants to strip Andrew’s titles instead of collaborating with Parliament to draft legislation that would aim to abolish the dukedom entirely. Us understands that parliamentary action would have consumed time otherwise allocated to urgent national affairs.

Us confirmed on Thursday, October 30, that Charles commenced the formal procedure to divest his sibling of his titles.

“Prince Andrew will henceforth be identified as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. His occupancy agreement for Royal Lodge has, until now, afforded him legal grounds to reside there,” states a communiqué shared with Us. “Official notification has now been issued to terminate the lease, and he will relocate to alternative private lodging. These disciplinary measures are considered essential, despite his ongoing denials of the accusations leveled against him.”

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The statement concludes, “Their Majesties wish to unequivocally declare that their thoughts and deepest compassion have been, and will always be, extended to the victims and survivors of all forms of abuse.”

Several weeks prior, Andrew had willingly consented to cease using his titles following his persistent connections with the deceased Epstein. (Andrew faced allegations of sexual assault from Giuffre, who passed away earlier this year, in 2019, after reportedly being introduced by an Epstein associate. Andrew refuted all accusations and reached an out-of-court settlement with Giuffre for an unspecified amount. These claims against Andrew were re-emphasized in Giuffre's posthumously released memoir, which he also denied.)

“Following discussions with The King, and my immediate and extended family, we have determined that the ongoing allegations concerning me divert attention from the duties of His Majesty and the Royal Family,” Andrew stated in a declaration on October 17. “I have chosen, as has always been my principle, to prioritize my obligation to my family and nation. I uphold my resolve from five years ago to withdraw from public engagements.”

He further added, “With His Majesty’s concurrence, we believe I must now take an additional measure. Consequently, I will no longer utilize my title or the distinctions that have been bestowed upon me. As I have stated before, I emphatically refute the accusations made against me.”