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Topics: Prince Andrew, Royal Family, UK News, News
Rhiannon Ingle
Topics: Prince Andrew, Royal Family, UK News, News
Andrew Mountbatten Windsor will soon be stripped of another honorary title following Buckingham Palace's announcement last week that he would no longer be referred to as 'Prince Andrew'.
Last Thursday (30 October), Buckingham Palace confirmed that it had begun the process of removing Andrew's titles, following his previous announcement that he would relinquish his titles due to new allegations surrounding his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
"His Majesty has today initiated a formal process to remove the Style, Titles and Honours of Prince Andrew," the Palace said in a statement.
"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."
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The decision came shortly after the release of one of Epstein's accusers, Virginia Giuffre's, posthumous memoir, Nobody's Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice, which included more accusations regarding Andrew.
Giuffre, who died by suicide in April, had previously alleged that she was forced to have sex with Andrew on three separate occasions, accusations which he has continuously denied.
She took Andrew to court in 2021 before an undisclosed settlement was reached. Andrew has repeatedly denied all wrongdoing.
Now, on top of his royal titles and honours, the former Duke of York will also lose his naval title, according to the Secretary of State for Defence of the United Kingdom, John Healey.
Andrew will be stripped of his honorary rank of vice-admiral, which he was given in 2015 and has retained even after giving up other military positions in 2022, Healey confirmed on Sunday (2 November).
He told the BBC that ministers were working with King Charles to remove Mountbatten Windsor’s naval honours, following last week's decision last week to strip him of his royal title as prince and remove him from Royal Lodge.
"In general, the government has been guided by the decisions and judgments the king has made. In defence, it’s exactly the same," Healey explained.
"We’ve seen Andrew surrender the honorary positions he’s had throughout the military, and guided again by the king, we are working now to remove that last remaining title of vice-admiral that he has."
When asked whether Andrew could lose his military medals as well, Healey said they were 'medals for his service', adding: "I don’t have an update for you on that, but just as with his vice-admiral rank and title, we would be guided by the decisions the king makes."