King Charles To Remove Prince Andrew's Titles And Eject Him From Royal Lodge

Britain's Prince Andrew will person his royal titles formally removed and will move retired of his location successful Windsor, Buckingham Palace has said, arsenic nan royal faces increasing unit complete his ties to nan activity offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Buckingham Palace said successful a connection that King Charles had "initiated a general process to region nan Style, Titles and Honours" of his younger brother.

"Prince Andrew will now beryllium known arsenic Andrew Mountbatten Windsor," nan connection said, an escalation from measures announced 2 weeks ago, erstwhile nan palace said that Andrew would extremity utilizing immoderate of his titles, including nan Duke of York.

The connection notes that Andrew "continues to contradict nan allegations against him," adding: "Their Majesties [King Charles and Queen Camilla] wish to make clear that their thoughts and utmost sympathies person been, and will stay with, nan victims and survivors of immoderate and each forms of abuse."

The palace besides said that a general announcement had been served for Andrew to time off his location astatine nan Royal Lodge, adjacent to Windsor Castle.

It comes aft revelations that Andrew was paying a rent of "one peppercorn (if demanded) per annum" connected nan 30-room mansion owned by nan Crown Estate, contempt stepping backmost from nationalist duties six years ago. The statement was revealed successful a Freedom of Information petition by The Times newspaper past week.

The palace said: "His lease connected Royal Lodge has, to date, provided him pinch ineligible protection to proceed successful residence. Formal announcement has now been served to surrender nan lease and he will move to replacement backstage accommodation."

The Royal Lodge was nan location of Elizabeth, King George VI's consort and nan mother of Queen Elizabeth II, from 1952 until she died successful 2002.

Legal documents published by The Times, not verified by NBC News, indicated that King Charles III’s younger relative paid £1 cardinal for nan lease erstwhile he moved into nan spot successful 2004, besides paying £7.5 cardinal for refurbishment works. The palace and Prince Andrew did not antecedently remark connected nan reports.

The Royal Lodge, nan residence of Prince Andrew, adjacent Windsor.STAR MAX / IPx / AP file

In a connection 2 weeks ago, Andrew cited "the continued accusations astir me" that "distract from nan activity of His Majesty and nan Royal Family."

"As I person said previously, I vigorously contradict nan accusations against me," Andrew said.

The large wind has only intensified since, pinch nan publication of precocious Epstein subsister Virginia Roberts Giuffre’s posthumous memoir, detailing allegations against Andrew, connected Monday.

Giuffre, who died by termination successful April, wrote that she had activity pinch nan prince connected 3 occasions, including an “orgy” involving “eight different young girls” who “appeared to beryllium nether nan property of 18 and didn’t really speak English.”

Andrew reached a ineligible colony pinch Giuffre for an undisclosed magnitude successful February 2022 aft she revenge a civilian lawsuit against him successful a New York court. He has many times denied having met her and antecedently denied that a photograph of nan 2 of them is real.