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Andrew Mountbatten Windsor has lost his royal titles following controversy over his relationship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein
Alex CroftMonday 01 December 2025 16:36 GMTComments
CloseAndrew will be stripped of remaining naval rank, John Healey confirms
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Andrew Mountbatten Windsor has been formally stripped of his last remaining royal titles following controversy over his links to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
King Charles has ordered that his membership of the Order of the Garter, to which he was appointed in 2006, be removed.
Mr Mountbatten-Windsor’s appointment as a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order is also to be cancelled and annulled, records published on London Gazette show.
Last month, the 65-year-old was stripped of his both his HRH style and his prince title. He still retains his rank as Vice Admiral in the Royal Navy - but defence minister John Healey has said it was being looked at with Buckingham Palace.
open image in galleryThe then-Duke of York taking part in a previous Order of the Garter procession (Chris Jackson/PA) (PA Wire)Mr Mountbatten-Windsor’s role in the family came to a disgraced end over growing concerns on his association with Mr Epstein. After the Palace announced that he would lose all his royal titles, it also said he would leave his Royal Lodge residence.
After it was agreed on 30 October, Mr Mountbatten-Windsor’s titles were officially removed on 1 December.
The announcement read: “THE KING has directed that the appointment of Andrew Albert Christian Edward MOUNTBATTEN-WINDSOR to be a Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, dated 23 April 2006, shall be cancelled and annulled and that his name shall be erased from the Register of the said Order.
“THE KING has directed that the appointment of Andrew Albert Christian Edward MOUNTBATTEN-WINDSOR to be a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order, dated 19 February 2011, shall be cancelled and annulled and that his name shall be erased from the Register of the said Order.”
open image in galleryAndrew Mountbatten Windsor is to be stripped of his honorary rank of vice-admiral. (Lauren Hurley/PA) (PA Archive)Mr Mountbatten-Windsor’s coat of arms has already been moved from St George’s Chapel, Windsor.
His HRH style and his prince title were both stripped by the King in early November.
Andrew’s association with Epstein piled pressure on the royal family to act. After the Palace announced that Andrew would lose all his royal titles, it said he would leave his 30-room mansion in Windsor.
He had previously agreed to stop using his titles but had expected to remain a prince and retain his dukedom.
Damaging allegations include that he had tried to get the Metropolitan Police to dig up dirt for a smear campaign against late Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre, who died earlier this year.
A posthumous memoir from Ms Giuffre was released this year, in which she repeated allegations that, as a teenager, she was made to have sex with Andrew on three separate occasions. He has strenuously denied the allegations.
open image in galleryEpstein appeared to confirm the photo of Andrew with Virginia Giuffre was real in an email exchange (US Department of Justice/PA) (PA Media)Emails also from 2011 reemerged in October showing Andrew in contact with Epstein months after he claimed their friendship had ended.
Unsealed court documents show that Andrew told Epstein it would be “good to catch up in person” months after the latter was released from prison for solicitation of prostitution and of solicitation of prostitution with a minor.
He now faces mounting pressure from US lawmakers to answer questions about his well-documented friendship with Epstein. Some Democrats have previously suggested he could speak over video link with a lawyer present.
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