British monarch King Charles III, on Thursday, stripped his disgraced brother Prince Andrew of all remaining royal titles and evicted him from the Windsor Palace over his links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. For years, the British royals have been facing pressure over Andrew’s controversial ties with Epstein.
Buckingham Palace released a statement, confirming the news and said that the king “initiated a formal process to remove the Style, Titles and Honours of Prince Andrew.” With this, Andrew will be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor and would no longer be referred to as Prince.
He will also be moved from his Royal Lodge residence into “private accommodation.” There have been rising demands to oust the disgraced prince from Royal Lodge after he surrendered his use of the title Duke of York earlier this month. Condemnation against Andrew intensified after the recent revelations were made about his friendship with Epstein and allegations by one of Epstein’s victims, Virginia Roberts Giuffre.
‘Serious lapse of judgement’:Palace
In the recent move, King Charles went further to punish him for serious lapses of judgment by removing the title of prince that he had held since birth as a child of a monarch, the late Queen Elizabeth II. “These censures are deemed necessary, even though he continues to deny the allegations against him,” the palace said. “Their Majesties wish to make clear that their thoughts and utmost sympathies have been, and will remain with, the victims and survivors of all forms of abuse.”
Andrew also started to face major backlash after emails emerged earlier this month showing he had remained in contact with Epstein longer than he previously admitted. The news was followed by the publication of a posthumous memoir by Epstein accuser Giuffre, who alleged she had sex with Andrew when she was 17.
Source:First Post.