Topics: Prince Andrew, Royal Family, King Charles III, Prince Louis, UK News, Explained
Prince Andrew being stripped of his 'prince' title has prompted a slew of questions from the British public - including who will become the next Duke of York.
From what happens to his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, to where Andrew will live next, there's a lot that people are hoping to get answers to in the wake of the bombshell news.
For those not in the loop, it was announced by Buckingham Palace yesterday that King Charles III had decided to formally strip his brother Andrew of his Prince and Duke of York titles and HRH style.
It came after his friendship with convicted paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein was thrust back into the spotlight after Andrew's accuser Virginia Giuffre's posthumous memoir was released earlier this month.
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He has strenuously denied the allegations, including that he had sex with Giuffre on multiple occasions when she was a minor.
The family of Giuffre, who died by suicide in April, have said in a statement that 'today, she declares a victory' and that she 'brought down a British prince with her truth and extraordinary courage'.
Meanwhile, Buckingham Palace's statement in full 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 continues: “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.”
As we say, many people have been left with questions, one of the most notable being, who will become the next Duke of York? And the answer is a complicated one.
Royal expert Sharon Carpenter told E! News: "It’s possible that in the future someone may be granted Andrew’s now former titles.
"But under current rules, a dukedom follows male-line succession. Andrew doesn’t have a son and it won’t be passed to his daughters.”
She added: “It would likely revert to the Crown when he dies and at that point the monarch could regrant the title to someone else.”
It was already revealed that Andrew's ex-wife will be known as Sarah Ferguson, losing her title of Duchess of York, and the former couple's daughters Beatrice and Eugenie will continue to use the title of princess.
But as explained by the expert, Andrew's Duke of York title will most likely go unused before reverting to the Crown after his death, unless he has a legitimate male child before he dies.
As he only has daughters as of right now, it can't be passed on to them.
However, according to Parade Magazine, if the DOY title were to be officially removed by Parliament, the King would then be free to hand it out to whoever he sees fit.
The publication reports that, traditionally, the title would go to the second son of the reigning monarch if it's not already held by someone else - that would be Prince Harry.
However, as we know, he stepped away from royal duties in 2020 so this is very unlikely.
Since Prince William is first-in-line to the British throne, the publication reports that his second son, Prince Louis, 7, could be the royal to become the next Duke of York.
But, it's important to note that this is just a guess and we won't really know until it happens, so we'll just have to wait and see!
Tyla has contacted Buckingham Palace for comment.
