The main news in royal circles is that Prince Andrew is no longer a prince and has been stripped of all royal titles and expelled from Windsor by decision of King Charles III. He will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, and his new life in Norfolk will, according to experts, become “hell on earth” for him due to the loss of status and privilege.
In just a few hours, Prince Andrew's life changed dramatically. King Charles III officially stripped his brother of all royal titles and honors and from then on he would be known simply as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. This was a historic decision that broke with more than a century of tradition: the last time such a punishment was imposed on dukes who fought on the German side in World War I.
For Andrew, the beloved son of the late Queen Elizabeth II, the new reality meant leaving his spacious Windsor estate and moving to a private home in Norfolk. According to royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams, for a man who especially loved titles and status, such a fate would be “hell”. He added that even before the current scandal, Andrew's public image had been damaged by his greed, arrogance and his disastrous interview.
Pressure on the royal family to take decisive action against Andrew has been mounting for years but has peaked in recent weeks. The publication of the posthumous memoir of Virginia Giuffre, who accused the prince of having sex when she was a minor and a victim of Jeffrey Epstein, the leak of his incriminating correspondence with a convicted criminal, and revelations that he had not paid rent on a luxury home for 22 years have all created an unprecedented scandal.
Andrew's attempt to avoid public opinion by voluntarily renouncing the “use” of the title Duke of York completely failed. According to the British press, the turning point was the scene during the king's visit to Lichfield Cathedral, where a protester directly in front of the camera demanded that Charles III answer about Andrew's connections with Epstein. Although the current monarch remained calm on the outside, it was only after this incident that he made the final decision.
In an official statement, Buckingham Palace said the king had initiated the process of stripping Andrew of his titles and honors, stressing that these measures were necessary, despite the prince continuing to deny all allegations. Of particular significance were the words that the monarchs' thoughts remained with the victims and survivors of any violence. Andrew also received legal notice that his tenancy had ended. As one royal source noted, the king assessed the public mood and acted quickly, realizing that the situation could not continue for another day. It was his way of showing that he listened to everyone.
It turned out that just 13 days after Andrew tried to voluntarily “do hara-kiri” for the benefit of the monarchy, the king himself took the ax in his hand, ending his brother's years-long downfall and sending him into exile, something unprecedented in the modern era.
