The British Royal Family, under the leadership of King Charles III, has stripped his younger brother, Andrew, of royal titles, honours, and privileges.
The palace announced that King Charles III stripped Andrew of royal titles in a press statement issued on Thursday.
The statement added that King Charles has ordered Andrew to vacate his long-time residence, Royal Lodge.
Pan-Atlantic Kompass reports that the development came after renewed public scrutiny over Andrew’s association with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and serious sexual assault allegations.
The move also comes on the heels of mounting public pressure, intensified by the posthumous publication of Virginia Giuffre’s memoir.
Giuffre, who took her own life earlier this year, had claimed that, as a teenager, she had sex with Andrew on three occasions after being trafficked by Epstein and his ex-girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell.
Andrew, on the other hand, has repeatedly denied all allegations against him.
Meanwhile, following the public scrutiny, King Charles initiated a formal process to remove the Style, Titles, and Honours of Andrew.
The statement reads: “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.
“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.”
It was gathered that after King Charles stripped Andrew of his royal titles, he is expected to move to a property on the Sandringham estate, about 100 miles north of London, which is privately owned by the British monarch.
Meanwhile, Andrew’s daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, will retain their titles as they are the daughters of the son of a sovereign – in line with rules set out by King George V in 1917.
Andrew’s ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, who has lived with him for the past 20 years at Royal Lodge, will also move out and is understood to be making her own arrangements.
Giuffre’s family has also reacted after King Charles stripped Andrew of his royal titles.
In a statement on Thursday, the family said: “Today, an ordinary American girl, from an ordinary American family, brought down a British prince with her truth and extraordinary courage.
“Our sister, a child when she was sexually assaulted by Andrew, never stopped fighting for accountability for what had happened to her and to countless other survivors like her. Today, she declares victory.”
In his interview with the press, Sky Roberts, Giuffre’s brother said King Charles’ decision vindicated the years of campaigning by his sister. “She should be here. She should be having this interview with you,” he said.
“She had been fighting for this for a long time. She always said… only one of us is telling the truth and I know that’s me,” Roberts said. “We’re really proud of her. We’re so proud of what she was able to achieve.”
Calling it a “huge moment” for his sister and other survivors, Roberts said: “It’s an acknowledgement to say, we believe you. We see you. And for me, I love you. We love you… This is a very vindicating moment for us. And I just wish she were here to share this with us.”
In another development, an anti-monarchy group, Republic, has stated that it has instructed lawyers to launch a private prosecution against Andrew “over accusations of sexual offenses and misconduct in public office.”
The group said its lawyers would be actively investigating the case against Andrew and aim to begin proceedings in the coming weeks. Republic has previously called for the police to investigate Andrew.
“Let’s be very clear, Prince Andrew – now Andrew Mountbatton Windsor – is not facing justice. He’s not being held to account. Losing silly titles is not an answer to very serious accusations of sexual offenses and corruption in public office,” Graham Smith, chief executive of Republic, said Thursday following the palace’s announcement.
“This isn’t about William and Charles taking a tough line. It’s about William and Charles protecting their position by putting as much distance between them and Andrew as they can,” Smith added. “We need to see Andrew face justice, because we need to know that the royals are not above the law.”
