On October 17, 2025, Prince Andrew announced that he would relinquish the use of his royal titles and honours. He cited continued accusations against him that distract from the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family as the reason for his decision.
The announcement followed renewed allegations related to Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender, after the release of Virginia Giuffre’s posthumous memoir and leaked emails from ongoing inquiries by US authorities into connections to Epstein.
Public opinion remained largely negative, with some viewing Andrew’s move as insufficient. Members of Parliament questioned the Prince’s “one peppercorn” lease on Royal Lodge, effectively allowing him to live there rent-free for two decades.
In a statement on October 30, Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles had initiated a formal process to remove the style, titles, and honours of Prince Andrew.
What happens next
The Prince shall henceforth be known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and will lose all his military ranks and patronages. His lease at Royal Lodge has been formally surrendered as part of the removal of his royal titles and honours.
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.
Statement from Buckingham Palace
Andrew will move to Sandringham estate, a 20,000-acre private royal estate in Norfolk, funded by the King rather than public money. The government says it has no plans to pass a law to formally remove Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor from the line of succession. He remains eighth in line to the throne.
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.
Behind the “Peppercorn Rent” controversy
Reports indicate that Prince Andrew has not paid rent on Royal Lodge for two decades since 2003 after £8.5million in upfront costs. His 75-year lease for Royal Lodge, which began in 2003, was a peppercorn rent agreement requiring a nominal and symbolic annual fee, often described as effectively rent-free.
Sarah Ferguson, Andrew’s ex-wife, will move out of Royal Lodge after decades of sharing the Windsor residence despite their divorce in 1996. Sarah Ferguson has lost her courtesy title of Duchess of York, while their daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie retain their titles.
Why it matters
The removal of Prince Andrew’s titles marks the most significant censure of a senior working member of the Royal Family in modern history. The move reflects the monarchy’s effort to distance itself from ongoing legal and reputational damage while maintaining constitutional limits on what can be done about succession rights.
The episode has reignited public debate about the privileges of royal family members, accountability for those connected to Epstein, and the role of the monarchy in holding its own members to account.
