Britain’s King Charles has taken the extraordinary step of stripping his younger brother, Prince Andrew, of all his remaining titles and honours and ordering him to vacate his Windsor residence, Buckingham Palace announced on Thursday.The decision came after weeks of pressure on the palace. Earlier this month, Andrew gave up using the title Duke of York because of renewed attention on his friendship with the late sex offender and pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. The King has now gone a step further by removing the title of “prince,” which Andrew has had since he was born to the late Queen Elizabeth II.In a statement, the palace said that Andrew would no longer be known as a prince, but instead by his full name, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. It also confirmed that a formal notice had been served requiring him to surrender the lease of his mansion, Royal Lodge, within the Windsor Castle grounds. The Duke will be moved to alternative private accommodation.“These censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him,” the palace said. “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 added.”The announcement comes as new reports have deepened the row surrounding the 65-year-old royal. BBC investigations recently confirmed that Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell and disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein were hosted at Royal Lodge during Princess Beatrice’s 18th birthday celebrations in 2006. The revelation is a major one because Epstein was already facing a US arrest warrant for sexual assault at the time.Epstein and Weinstein reportedly attended a small gathering on the lawn before joining the larger party at Windsor Castle. A photograph reportedly matched the trio to the Royal Lodge garden. Andrew has not commented on the claims.The Duke has been under fire for years over his friendship with Epstein, who died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking. Maxwell is serving a 20-year sentence in the United States for helping Epstein procure underage girls, while Weinstein has been convicted of multiple sexual assaults.Andrew stepped back from royal duties in 2019 after a disastrous BBC interview in which he defended his relationship with Epstein. He later settled a civil sexual assault case brought by Virginia Giuffre, who accused him of abusing her when she was a minor, though he continues to deny all allegations.
