Buckingham Palace has formally announced the revocation of the title ‘Prince’ from Prince Andrew, citing that this will also follow his eviction from his Royal Lodge home in Windsor.

The Palace shared a statement on October 30.

Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, as he is to be addressed now, on October 17 issued a statement announcing that he had given up the title “Duke of York” and other remaining royal honours. He said the decision was arrived at following discussions with members of the Royal family.

According to him, the heightened discussions and heavy scrutiny linked to his alleged involvement with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein continue to cause controversy, citing that they were a distraction to the monarchy’s work.

The palace said the former prince has agreed to leave Royal Lodge as his links to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein continue to cause controversy.

The decision was made due to serious lapses in Andrew's judgement, it is understood, and he continues to deny the accusations against him. It is also understood that he did not object to the King's decision to remove his titles. Reports suggest he will relocate to a privately funded property on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk, although this has not been officially confirmed.

The Andrew and Epstein links

It all started in 2011 when news emerged about Andrew's friendship with Epstein. Four years later, Virginia Giuffre (née Roberts), a central figure in the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking case, named Prince Andrew in court documents related to Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking network, alleging that she was paid $15,000 by Epstein to have sex with the royal when she was 17 years old.

She filed a civil lawsuit against the royal in August 2021 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York under the Child Victims Act. According to the charges she levelled against the Prince, she mentioned that Andrew sexually abused her on three occasions in the early 2000s, including one alleged encounter in London at Maxwell’s home.

Prince Andrew denied all allegations, but the case was settled out of court in February 2022, reportedly for £12 million, without admission of guilt.

Three years down the line, Giuffre dies. She reportedly took her life in April 2025 at age 41. However, a memoir she published, titled Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice, was published posthumously on October 21, sparking new discussions and debates about Prince Andrew, which eventually led to his title removal and other royal honours.

The book includes new allegations against Prince Andrew, claiming he believed it was his “birthright” to have sex with her

The statement from Buckingham Palace in full:

His Majesty has today initiated a formal process to remove the style, titles and honours of Prince Andrew.

Prince Andrew will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.

His lease on Royal Lodge has, to date, provided him with legal protection to continue in residence.

Formal notice has now been served to surrender the lease and he will move to alternative private accommodation.

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

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.