King Charles is stripping Prince Andrew of his titles and honours and evicting him from his royal residence.
A formal notice has been served on Andrew to surrender his lease at the Royal Lodge in Windsor, Buckingham Palace said in a statement.
The King’s decision comes after growing pressure to oust Prince Andrew from the lodge over his connections to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and allegations from Epstein victim Virginia Roberts Giuffre.
Read the King’s statement in full:
“His Majesty has today initiated a formal process to remove the Style, Titles and Honours of Prince Andrew.
“Prince Andrew will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. His lease on Royal Lodge has, to date, provided him with legal protection to continue in residence. Formal notice has now been served to surrender the lease and he will move to alternative private accommodation.
“These censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him.
“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.”
Andrew to move to ‘private accommodation’
It’s understood that Prince Andrew will move to a property on the Sandringham Estate.
Any future accommodation will be privately funded by the King.
The developments required legal and constitutional expertise and support from the wider family to bring about.
The King initiated the process and Andrew did not object, it is understood.
The Government was consulted and made it clear it supports the decision as constitutionally proper.
The move will take place as soon as practicable and Andrew will receive an appropriate private provision from the King, it is understood.
‘Very sad state of affairs’
Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said it must have been “very difficult” for the King to strip his brother of his titles and Royal Lodge residence.
She told LBC Radio: “I’ve been following this story more about a family. It’s a very sad state of affairs.
“I think that the King has clearly felt that this is the right decision for the royal family. It must have been a very difficult thing for him to have done. I mean, having to do that to your own brother.
“But the standards and expectations in society now are very high. People expect to see the very highest levels of integrity.
“And I’m afraid the whole Jeffrey Epstein saga and everyone it has touched, from Prince Andrew to Peter Mandelson, has just shown that the public has no truck whatsoever with any kind of sexual abuse, sexual offences, especially of minors. And I think that that’s quite right.”
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has backed the King in his decision to remove Andrew’s titles.
He said: “The King is absolutely right to strip Prince Andrew of both his titles and his residence at the Royal Lodge.
“It’s clear that Andrew’s position had become totally untenable, having disgraced his office and embarrassed the country.
“This is an important step towards rebuilding trust in our institutions and drawing a line under this whole sorry saga.”
