Prince Andrew of England is no more. From now on, he is simply Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. He has been ordered to vacate the Royal Lodge where he has been living since 2004 and is prohibited from residing in any property owned by the Crown. He will now live on an 8,100-hectare private estate in Sandringham, funded by his brother, King Charles III. Andrew has also immediately lost all his noble honors and distinctions.
This decision was made by Charles III, who has just announced it with a damning statement concluding that "Their Majesties [referring to King Charles III and Camilla] wish to make it clear that their utmost thoughts and sympathy have been, and will continue to be, with the victims and survivors of all forms of abuse."
In other words, Andrew has been completely demoted due to his alleged involvement in the prostitution network of the American millionaire Jeffrey Epstein, which also seems to involve prominent figures from the United States, such as Donald Trump, Bill Clinton, and Bill Gates, although there has been no accountability on that side of the Atlantic.
There is no recent precedent for this move. The closest comparison is the Titles Deprivation Act of 1917, under which George V stripped several members of the German branch of his family of the title 'prince'. However, that move occurred during World War I, which forced the Hanover family to change their name to Windsor. This time, it is much harsher due to the personal conduct of the former prince. The Buckingham statement also asserts that "these censures have been deemed necessary, despite his continued denial of the accusations." Andrew's two daughters, Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice, will retain their titles.
"Today, an ordinary American girl from an ordinary American family has conquered a British prince with her sincerity and extraordinary courage," reacted Skye Roberts, brother of Virginia Giuffre, a deceased victim of Epstein. "Our sister, who was a child when Andrew sexually abused her, never stopped fighting for accountability for what happened to her and many other survivors like her," he added in a statement.
"Today, she declares victory. We, her family, along with her fellow survivor sisters, continue Virginia's fight and will not rest until the same accountability is applied to all abusers and accomplices related to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell."
For the Monarchy, this is a failure. Buckingham Palace had hoped that Andrew's decision to put all his titles "on hold" - essentially renouncing them - would calm the crisis sparked by the reactivation of the 'Epstein case'. However, Parliament continued to pressure, especially regarding the former prince's stay at the Royal Lodge, which is owned by the Royal Estate, a state entity managing royal assets. The rent paid by Andrew Mountbatten (his name from now on) is symbolic, possibly just a pound (equivalent to one euro and 14 cents) per year. Before moving to that residence, he paid a million pounds upfront for a 75-year lease and an additional 7.5 million pounds (8.5 million euros) for renovations.