Prince Andrew has officially been stripped of all his titles, as announced by his brother, King Charles.
In a stunning statement from the British Monarch, it has been revealed that Prince Andrew will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.
Formal notice was also served on him to surrender the lease on the Royal Lodge, where he has been residing. He will move to alternative private accommodation.
It comes after the release of the explosive memoir of Virginia Giuffre, in which she accuses Andrew of sexually abusing her.
The book, Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice, was released posthumously, after Giuffre died by suicide in April this year.
In the memoir, she details how she was allegedly forced to have sex with the former royal three times, when she was just 17 years old. This was at the behest of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who also abused her.
Andrew has continuously denied the charges. Earlier in October, he voluntarily gave up his other royal titles, including Duke of York, as he said the accusations were distracting him from the work of the Royal Family.
“As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me.”
In the Buckingham Palace statement stripping Andrew of his ‘Prince’ title, King Charles makes it clear that the new censures are deemed necessary, “notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him.”
The last sentence of the statement is scathing:
“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.”
Giuffre’s family have hailed the news as a victory.
Giuffre’s brother, Sky Roberts, and his wife, Amanda Roberts, stated in PEOPLE magazine:
“Today, an ordinary American girl from an ordinary American family brought down a British prince with her truth and extraordinary courage. Virginia Roberts Giuffre, 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,” the statement continues. Today, she declares victory.”
It is understood that Andrew’s daughters, Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice, will retain their titles, as they are the daughters of the son of a Sovereign.
Sarah Ferguson, Andrew’s ex-wife, will also move out of Royal Lodge and will have to make her own living arrangements, while Andrew will reportedly move into accommodation on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk, which will be funded privately by the King.
