Prince Andrew, King Charles’ younger brother, is being stripped of all Royal titles, including his ‘prince’ title. This comes in light of revelations from the posthumous memoir of Andrew’s accuser, Virginia Giuffre.
This comes after increasing pressure
The disgraced prince’s title was removed after increasing public and political pressure surrounding his living situation and what his accuser has published in her memoir.
Buckingham Palace made the announcement on October 30, adding that he was also ordered to move out of his royal residence, the Royal Lodge.
There were questions about his living situation
Only one day earlier, questions were raised by the Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on the ‘value for money’ of keeping the Duke’s subsidized lifestyle as a royal after stepping back from royal duties in 2019.
He was therefore ordered to vacate his Windsor residence, the Royal Lodge.
Buckingham Palace released a statement
“His Majesty has today initiated a formal process to remove the Style, Titles and Honours of Prince Andrew,” the Royal Family said in a statement, per the BBC.
“His lease on Royal Lodge has, to date, provided him with legal protection to continue in residence.”
He’s been given formal notice to leave
“Formal notice has now been served to surrender the lease and he will move to alternative private accommodation,” the statement by the Royal Family continued.
“These censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him.”
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They have sympathies to abuse survivors
“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,” the Palace said.
He came under increased scrutiny lately
This has also come after renewed scrutiny in light of Virginia Giuffre’s posthumous memoir, which further increased Andrew’s alleged connections to Jeffrey Epstein.
Giuffre, who alleged she was paid to have sex with the prince when she was 17, died by suicide at her home in Australia in April this year at the age of 41.
Her memoir was published right after
Giuffre died in April just before her memoir, Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice, came out.
In her memoir, she claims that she met the prince in March 2001 and was pressured by Ghislaine Maxwell to ‘do for him what you do for Jeffrey’.
The prince himself had offered to give up titles
“The next morning, Maxwell told me: ‘You did well. The prince had fun,’” Giuffre wrote, and that Epstein paid her $15,000,” Giuffre continued in her book.
According to the BBC, Andrew offered to give up his titles earlier this month in a voluntary attempt to close this scandal.
Giuffre’s family took this as validation
In response to this, Giuffre’s family released a statement at the time saying, “We, the family of Virginia Roberts Giuffre, believe that Prince Andrew’s decision to give up his titles is vindication for our sister and survivors everywhere.”
“This decisive action is a powerful step forward in our fight to bring Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s child sex-trafficking network to justice.”
