Royal family quietly makes huge change after Prince Andrew is reduced to ‘Andrew’
It's been a few days now since Buckingham Palace announced that the former Duke of York would be losing all of his royal titles and honours.
The full statement dated 30 October reads: "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. "
It 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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The news followed Andrew's previous announcement that he would relinquish his titles due to new allegations surrounding his relationship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
However, amidst all the turmoil, the royal family has since quietly made a huge change, and people have been quick to clock.
Now, the official Royal.uk website has several pages on various members of the family, including King Charles III, Queen Consort Camilla, Prince William and Kate Middleton.
Andrew used to have his own page under the title 'The Duke of York', but a quick check on the website will show you that this no longer exists.
According to Hello!, an archived webpage dating back to the 7th September showed Andrew, then listed as the Duke of York, alongside Princess Alexandra and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
His profile linked to a dedicated page containing a biography and details of his withdrawal from royal duties back in 2022.
"On 13 January 2022, Buckingham Palace announced that, with Queen Elizabeth II's approval and agreement, The Duke of York’s military affiliations and Royal patronages would be returned to Her late Majesty, and The Duke would not return to public duties. Prior to stepping back from public life, The Duke of York undertook a wide range of public work, with a strong economic and business focus," the text at the top of the page read.
It also included a brief biography covering his life, military career, and trade role, along with links to his 2019 and 2022 statements about stepping back from public life.
Thursday's 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.
Topics: King Charles III, News, Prince Andrew, Royal Family, UK News, Jeffrey Epstein, Virginia Giuffre
Rhiannon Ingle