King Charles strips Prince Andrew of titles, orders him to vacate Windsor home over Epstein scandal

Britain’s King Charles has reportedly taken the unprecedented step of removing all royal titles from his younger brother, Prince Andrew, and instructing him to vacate his Windsor residence amid renewed scrutiny over his ties to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

According to reports, Buckingham Palace confirmed on Thursday that Andrew, 65, will no longer hold the style of Prince or use his former title, Duke of York. He will henceforth be referred to as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, marking a historic and deeply symbolic break within the royal family.

A formal notice has reportedly been issued for Andrew to surrender the lease of Royal Lodge, his longtime residence on the Windsor Estate. He is expected to relocate to a smaller, privately maintained property on the Sandringham Estate in eastern England.

Sources told British media that the move was personally approved by King Charles, who continues to receive cancer treatment, as part of a broader effort to safeguard the monarchy’s reputation. The decision is being described as one of the most decisive disciplinary actions against a senior royal in modern British history.

Once celebrated for his military service during the Falklands War and his image as a charismatic royal, Andrew’s reputation has been in steady decline since 2011, when he stepped down as the UK’s special trade envoy amid questions about his associations. By 2019, following a disastrous television interview about his friendship with Epstein, he had withdrawn from all public royal duties.

In 2022, Andrew was stripped of his military affiliations and royal patronages after facing a civil lawsuit from Virginia Giuffre, who accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was 17. Although he denied all allegations, the case was settled out of court that same year.