Prince Andrew stripped of titles and must surrender lease to Royal Lodge in Windsor
Prince Andrew is stripped of his titles and must surrender his lease at Royal Lodge, the Windsor manor where he resides, according to a statement from Buckingham Palace.
“Prince Andrew will henceforth be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor,” the statement said. “A formal notice has now been served to relinquish the lease and he will move to other private accommodation.”
Andrew recently said he would stop using his royal titles and honors, including that of Duke of York, but Thursday’s statement on behalf of King Charles III and Queen Camilla began the formal process of revoking all his titles, including that of prince.
“These censures are deemed necessary, even though he continues to deny the allegations against him,” the statement said.
Andrew has faced scrutiny due to his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and accusations of Virginie Giuffre that she was trafficked into having sex with the prince when she was a minor. Andrew has denied the allegations. He reached a agreement with Giuffre in 2022. Giuffre committed suicide earlier this year.
“Their Majesties wish to make clear that their thoughts and utmost sympathy have been and will remain with the victims and survivors of all forms of abuse,” the statement said.
Giuffre’s family said in a statement provided to CBS News’ sister network BBC News on Thursday, “Today, an ordinary American girl from an ordinary American family brought down a British prince with her truth and extraordinary courage.”
“Today, she declares victory. We, her family, along with her surviving sisters, continue Virginia’s fight and will not rest until the same accountability applies to all abusers and accomplices linked to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell,” said the statement sent on behalf of her brother, Sky Roberts, and sister-in-law, Amanda.
In a memoir published posthumouslyGiuffre detailed her alleged meetings with Andrew.
“He was pretty friendly, but he was still entitled, like he thought sleeping with me was his birthright,” she wrote. “The next morning, [Ghislaine] Maxwell said to me, “You did well. The prince had a great time. Epstein would give me $15,000 to do a favor for the man the tabloids called “Randy Andy.”
In 2022, Andrew abandoned his military affiliations, royal patronages, and official public functions. He also stopped using the title “His Royal Highness”.
Andrew had faced heavy criticism from the British public over his living conditions, with many expressing concern that he continued to live in his mansion on a royal estate despite the accusations against him and his withdrawal from royal duties.
His 75-year lease for Royal Lodge, signed in 2003, included an upfront payment of about 8 million pounds (about $10.5 million) and an annual rent described as a “peppercorn,” meaning an extremely low amount, according to BBC News. Part of this payment was intended to renovate the property, which was in a state of disrepair at the time, and Buckingham Palace felt it was better to have Andrew pay the cost of upgrading the property rather than using public funds, the BBC reported.
The lease had previously been described as “cast iron”, and Buckingham Palace said it needed to negotiate with Andrew in order to revoke it, but did not provide further information on the details of those negotiations.
Buckingham Palace said Andrew would vacate the residence as soon as possible and move to a property on the Sandringham Estate, located around 100 miles north of London.
