Prince Andrew To Be Stripped of Royal Titles and Residence Over Epstein Ties

Buckingham Palace says Britain's King Charles III has begun the "formal" process to strip Prince Andrew of remaining titles and evict him from the royal residence, the Royal Lodge.

He will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

"These censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him," the palace said.

Andrew, the younger brother of King Charles and the second son of the late Queen Elizabeth II, has faced mounting pressure over his behavior and ties to Jeffrey Epstein. Earlier this month, he was forced to stop using his title, Duke of York.

Giuffre's Epstein book connects to Andrew
The announcement followed fresh outrage over accusations made against him by one of Epstein's main accusers.

Virginia Giuffre's posthumous memoir, "Nobody's Girl," went on sale in the United Kingdom last week. In it, she said she had sex with Andrew on three separate occasions.

The first time occurred when she was only 17. She wrote that the prince correctly guessed her age and commented on her being about the same age as his children.

She said it happened at the London home of Epstein's longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell who she says facilitated her introduction to Andrew.

Emails from 2011 also reemerged this month, showing Andrew had contact with Epstein even after he said he had severed all links with the paedophile.

Andrew continues to deny claims of sexual abuse made by Giuffre, even after renouncing his official titles.

Giuffre died by suicide in April.

Andrew paid millions to settle a civil suit filed by Giuffre in New York in 2022. He did not admit wrongdoing but acknowledged her suffering as a victim of sex trafficking.

Epstein died by suicide in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex abuse charges. He had previously served time for child sex offenses. Maxwell was convicted in 2021 of sex trafficking and sentenced to 20 years for helping him abuse teenage girls.

"Their majesties wish 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," the palace said Thursday.

Andrew to move out of Royal Lodge
It is understood that Andrew's move to the private royal estate Sandringham will take place "as soon as practicable."

The British media scrutinized his finances after The Times reported he hadn't paid rent on his 30-room mansion at Windsor in two decades, despite spending at least 7.5 million pounds ($10.07 million, €6.4million) on renovations.

On Wednesday, a parliamentary committee questioned whether he should still be living there, a rare political intervention.

Andrew's ex-wife Sarah Ferguson lost her title Duchess of York, when he gave up his. They had been living together at the Royal lodge, but she will now have to find her own accomodation.

Their adult children, Beatrice and Eugenie, will remain princesses.

Edited by: Sean Sinico

Source: DW