The man once known as Prince Andrew faces what could be his final humiliation — King Charles III plans to strip him of his last honorary military rank, Britain’s defense secretary confirmed Sunday.
According to the New York Post, Andrew, the former Duke of York, was granted the honorary title of Vice Admiral in the Royal Navy in 2015 for his 55th birthday. Though he stepped down from other military roles in 2022 amid the scandal surrounding his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, he had retained that final title — until now.
“We’ve seen Andrew surrender the military positions that he’s had, and we’re looking now at the one remaining position he has, which is the honorary vice admiral position, and we’ve got a process under way for that,” Britain’s Defense Secretary John Healey told Sky News.
Healey later told the BBC that the move was in line with the wishes of the king. “This is a move that’s right, it’s a move the king has indicated we should take, and we’re working on that at the moment,” he said.
The 65-year-old royal, who once commanded a mine countermeasures vessel, is now set to live out his days as a disgraced private citizen. Following recent discussions with the royal family, he has been ordered to relinquish all remaining titles and honors.
In addition to losing his designation as the Duke of York, Andrew will no longer use the title “Prince” and will instead be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.
The late Queen Elizabeth II’s youngest son was already stripped of his “His Royal Highness” title in 2022 following a civil sexual abuse case filed in the U.S. by Virginia Giuffre, a victim of Epstein’s trafficking ring. In her posthumously published memoir, Giuffre alleged she was forced to have sex with Andrew three times as a teenager — claims he has consistently denied.
Andrew has also been told he has three months to vacate his 30-room Royal Lodge residence, where he lives with his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, who is also being forced to move out.
