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Topics: Prince Andrew, Royal Family, UK News
Chloe Jackson
Topics: Prince Andrew, Royal Family, UK News
King Charles has kick-started the formal process of removing Prince Andrew's titles and honours, and served him a notice to move out of his Royal Lodge, Buckingham Palace has said.
On 17 October, Andrew announced that he would be giving up his titles in the wake of fresh allegations surrounding his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The move came just days before the release of Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre’s posthumous memoir, Nobody's Girl, which included a slew of claims about Andrew, including that he slept with her on three separate occasions when she was a minor. Andrew has denied any wrongdoing.
In a new statement today (30 October), Buckingham Palace confirmed that the process of removing Andrew's titles had begun, and shed further light on the former Duke of York's future.
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"His Majesty has today initiated a formal process to remove the Style, Titles and Honours of Prince Andrew.
"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."
Andrew shares the sprawling 30-room estate with his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, with the lease stipulating that he is entitled to live in the property until 2078.
However, it's now believed that after being asked to surrender his lease on the home, Andrew will up sticks to a property on the private Sandringham estate in Norfolk.
His relocation out of Royal Lodge - which will be privately funded by King Charles - is expected to take place as soon as possible, with the royal known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor going forward.
The statement continued: "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 removal means Andrew can no longer use:
Prince
Duke of York
Earl of Inverness
Baron Killyleagh
His Royal Highness
Order of the Garter
Knight Grand Cross of the Victorian Order
It's believed that the King's decision has come off the back of 'serious lapses' in Andrew’s judgment, as scrutiny from the public mounted over his alleged involvement with Epstein.
In her book, Guiffre - who died by suicide in April aged 41 - detailed an alleged encounter with Andrew in which she claimed she had sex with him in a group setting.
She wrote: "Epstein, Andy, and approximately eight other young girls and I had sex together.
"The other girls all appeared to be under the age of 18 and didn't really speak English. Epstein laughed about how they couldn't really communicate, saying they are the easiest girls to get along with."
As part of a civil case brought against him in the US, Guiffre and Andrew reached an out-of-court settlement in February 2022 for an undisclosed amount - though reports suggest it was around the £12million mark.