It was a royal shake-up a decade in the making: In late October, King Charles III publicly stripped his younger brother, Andrew, of his titles, honors and home over his ties to convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. After this fall from grace, Queen Elizabeth II’s scandal-ridden second son will simply be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.
A cloud of accusations about Andrew has hung over the royal family for years, but as more details have come to light—most recently in Virginia Giuffre’s posthumous memoir, which published on Oct. 21—the king was prompted into action. When announcing the change, Charles said the move was “necessary, notwithstanding the fact that [Andrew] continues to deny the allegations against him,” a reference to Giuffre’s repeated allegations that Andrew sexually abused her as a teenager. As of Nov. 3, mentions of the disgraced prince have been scrubbed from the royal family’s official site, with the king’s Oct. 30 announcement the only trace.
While the move made headlines around the world, it wasn’t the first time a royal lost their title. Over the past century, several other senior royals suffered the same fate—even though most of them, unlike Andrew, agreed to the downgrade. But what, exactly, does it mean to be stripped of a royal title? Are there any consequences apart from the obvious, and could Andrew still become king at some point?
We searched the web for the best news articles and videos for additional context on Andrew losing his title, royals throughout history who shared his fate and what it all means for the royal family.
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It’s rare for royals to be stripped of their titles
Andrew isn’t the first royal rocked by scandal to lose a title, though few throughout history have been forcibly stripped of theirs. In the 16th century, Henry VIII’s daughters, Mary I and Elizabeth I, were declared illegitimate and had their princess titles removed, though they each later became the queen of England. And through the Titles Deprivation Act of 1917, any royals or peers who “adhered to His Majesty’s enemies”—aka fought in the German army—during World War I were stripped of their titles. That included Prince Charles Edward, Queen Victoria’s grandson, and Prince Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland.
Discovered on Time
Other royals have given up their titles and styles
Unlike Andrew, a handful of royals throughout history have given up their titles: Princess Patricia fell in love with a commoner and gave up her title to marry him in 1919. King Edward VIII abdicated the throne in 1936, relinquishing his title when he married twice-divorced Wallis Simpson (shown above). More recently, Princess Diana retained the title of princess but was barred from using the “Her Royal Highness” style following her divorce from Charles. And Harry and Meghan lost their styles (“His Royal Highness” and “Her Royal Highness”) after quitting “the Firm” for a new life in the U.S.
Discovered on The Standard
Removing a royal title is a formal process
There’s a formal procedure for stripping royals of their titles, styles and honors—in Andrew’s case, the titles of prince, Duke of York, Earl of Inverness and Baron Killyleagh, along with the style His Royal Highness and the honors Order of the Garter and Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order. It begins with a royal warrant, a legal document signed by the monarch and sent to the lord chancellor.
Discovered on The Times
A royal may take on a new name after losing their title
Stripped of a title, a royal may go by a new name—Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, in this case. Mountbatten Windsor was created in 1960 and combines the surname of the late queen and that of Prince Philip when the couple married. Windsor dates back to 1917, when King George V changed the royal family’s Germanic name, Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, to Windsor amid anti-German sentiment. Mountbatten is an anglicized form of Battenberg, adapted by Philip’s family during World War I for the same reason.
Discovered on BBC
Royals stripped of their titles lose informal legal protection
Aside from the monarch, members of the royal family don’t enjoy legal immunity. But while they’re not above the law—even as senior royals—their role carries a sort of informal protection, with officials and foreign governments traditionally more cautious about pressing charges. This protection disappears with the royal title, making them more vulnerable. So Andrew is more likely than ever to face criminal charges both in the U.K. and the U.S., not only because of Giuffre’s allegations but also for allegedly trying to later smear her in public with the help of a staff member.
Discovered on The Independent and The Spectator
This is the first time the royal family has acknowledged the victims of the Epstein scandal
When Charles stripped Andrew of his title, he ended his statement by saying, “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.” Despite rumors and allegations floating around for a decade, this is the first time anyone in the royal family, including Charles and the late Queen Elizabeth II, has ever publicly mentioned Epstein’s victims. While Andrew himself has discussed the scandal while denying the charges, he’s never expressed sympathy for Epstein’s many victims. In fact, one of Charles’s friends said Andrew refused to sign off on statements that supported abuse survivors.
Discovered on Sky News and The Independent
Prince William supports his father’s decision
Before Charles released the now-famous statement, negotiations between senior members of the royal family and Andrew had been going on behind closed doors for almost two weeks. According to a Kensington Palace source, Prince William was “fully supportive” of Charles’s final decision.
Discovered on The Telegraph
Andrew is still in the line of succession
The order of succession remains unchanged, meaning Andrew continues to be eighth in line to the throne even though he’s no longer a prince. While Charles can strip him of his title (which he did), he doesn’t have the legal power to change the line of succession. Removing him would require the British government to pass a formal law and get the 14 commonwealth realms (independent countries within the commonwealth that have Charles as their head of state) to agree to the change—and the government has already signalled that it has no intention of doing that.
Discovered on BBC
Other royals have also lost their homes when leaving the royal family
When Charles took away Andrew’s title, he also gave his brother the boot from the Royal Lodge in Windsor, announcing that Andrew would need to move “to alternative private accommodation.” He’ll most likely be sent to Sandringham in Norfolk next year, a royal estate about 140 miles from his current home. He’s not the first ex-royal asked to vacate: Harry and Meghan were kicked out of Frogmore Cottage in Windsor when they quit the royal family.
Andrew will continue to get money from Charles…
After stepping down from public duties following his infamous interview with BBC Newsnight in 2019—during which he was questioned about his relationship with Epstein and said he had “no recollection of ever meeting” Giuffre), Andrew is said to have received an annual allowance of $1.3 million (£1 million) from the queen. While Charles has since stopped these payments, he continues to pay Andrew an unknown amount of money and will privately fund his new accommodation.
Discovered on CNN
… but royal relationships remain frosty
Tension remains high between Andrew, Charles and other senior royals—he’s unlikely to get an invite to the royal Christmas dinner this year. Diana’s royal Christmas feasts also came to an abrupt end when she was no longer “Her Royal Highness.” But it’s unlikely Andrew’s immediate family—including daughters Beatrice and Eugenie, who will remain princesses—will fully cut ties with him.
Discovered on BBC
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