The royal family made history this week, as King Charles stripped his brother Andrew of his titles, honours and royal residence.
The 65-year-old, formerly known as the Duke of York, has been at the centre of controversy due to his link to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. And despite relinquishing his dukedom last month, he has now had all of his public privileges removed.
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“His Majesty has today initiated a formal process to remove the style, titles and honours of Prince Andrew,” read an official statement from Buckingham Palace on Thursday. “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,” the statement continued, confirming the removal of his royal property. “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,” the statement concluded. “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.”
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With Andrew officially losing his ‘Prince’ and ‘HRH’ titles, there have been questions as to whether the same will apply to his two daughters, Princess Beatrice, 37, and Princess Eugenie, 35.
This, according to royal experts, was a fear for the York family too, with Beatrice and Eugenie reportedly having “no warning” ahead of their father’s title and property removal. And following the news, “staff” alleged to #ShuterScoop that there had been “late-night family crisis meetings, frantic calls to advisers, and conflicting guidance from aides” behind closed doors.
Entitled: the Rise and Fall of the House of York, by Andrew Lownie
This new biography unpacks the life of Prince Andrew, and been touted as ‘the most devastating royal biography ever written’.
According to reports, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie will retain their Princess titles. This is because they are the children of the son of a sovereign, in line with King George V’s Letters Patent of 1917, per BBC. And they will also retain their places in the line of succession, being ninth and twelfth in line to the throne.
King Charles is keen to “protect” his nieces, a source reported to the Daily Mail earlier this week. “He wouldn’t have wanted to sign off on anything that would impact them.”
We will continue to update this story.