Charles III strips his brother Andrew of all royal titles

LondonCharles III has docked of his brother Andreu's scandalsBuckingham Palace announced on Thursday that Queen Elizabeth II's third child will be stripped of all his royal titles and will leave Royal Lodge, the 30-room official residence on the grounds of Windsor Castle, where he has lived until now paying only a symbolic fee. From now on, Andrew will no longer use the title of Prince and will be known simply as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. This completes Andrew's fall from grace following the Epstein case and his relationship with the convicted pedophile and American millionaire. He committed suicide in 2019 in a Manhattan jail While awaiting trial on charges of human trafficking. However, officially, Andreu will remain eighth in line to the throne.

In a statement, the British Royal Household explained that Charles III has initiated "a formal process to withdraw the style, titles, and honors of Prince Andrew." The statement also confirms that the termination of the lease that, since 2003, had allowed him to remain in the residence where he has lived until now has been ordered.

"The King considers these measures necessary, even though Andrew continues to deny the allegations against him," the text states. It seems, in fact, a compromise, which cannot hide the reputational impact on an already severely damaged reputation that has had to absorb the personal disgrace caused by the recent and devastating publication of the posthumous memory of Virginia Roberts GiuffreGiuffre, Epstein's most prominent victim, filed a civil lawsuit against Andreu in New York courts for abuse she suffered as a minor. In the book, Giuffre explains that Andreu and Epstein participated in an orgy with her and eight other girls on the pedophile's private island.

The family of Virginia Roberts Giuffre issued a statement shortly after the news broke. "Today, an ordinary American girl from an ordinary American family brought down a British prince with her truth and extraordinary courage," said her brother Skye and sister-in-law Amanda. "Virginia Roberts Giuffre, our sister, a child when she was sexually assaulted by Andreu, never stopped fighting for accountability for what happened to her and countless other survivors like her. Today, she declares victory. We, her family, along with her fellow survivors, continue Virginia's battle and will not rest until we are held accountable for Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell."

Private Estate

The former Duke of York will soon move to alternative private accommodation, which, according to the BBC, is located on a property within the Sandringham estate, another Crown possession, in Norfolk, in northeast England. According to other reports in the British press, Andrew's stay will be privately financed by the King. In principle, therefore, the cost will not come from the allocation that the British Treasury provides to Buckingham Palace annually. However, the source of funding is not clarified. It could, however, come from the Duchy of Lancaster, a private Crown estate that generates millions in income and is, by law, tax-exempt, although the King has assumed responsibility for paying income tax on the profits received. In the financial year ending March 2024, the Duchy of Lancaster contributed approximately £27.4 million to the monarch. The heir to the throne also holds another duchy, the Duchy of Cornwall, under the same conditions.

The Buckingham Palace statement also notes that the King and Queen's "thoughts and deepest sympathy" are with "all victims and survivors of sexual abuse," including all the women who suffered at the hands of Epstein and his circle, as Giuffre recounts in her book.

After weeks of media and political pressure, Buckingham Palace's decision regarding Andrew was only a matter of time. However, the forcefulness of the measure is nonetheless remarkable. The move comes just days after the now-former prince also renounced his title of Duke of York and his membership in the Order of the League of the British.

Charles III's decision responds to an increasingly critical public climate surrounding Andrew and everything that has come to light over the years regarding his ties to Epstein. The scandal, reignited by the aforementioned publication of the memoirs two weeks ago, has become an unsustainable institutional burden for the Crown. Between the family and the institution, Charles III has chosen the future of the institution.

The episode represents one of the most severe reprimands ever imposed on a member of the British royal family's inner circle, and confirms the palace's determination to preserve its credibility at a time of heightened public sensitivity. In recent days, in fact, the British press had reported that the patience not of the King, but of the heir apparent, Prince William, had reached its limit, to the point that it was reported he had vetoed him from his future coronation, whenever that may be.