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King charles All remaining titles have to be taken away prince andrew And he will be expelled from the Royal Lodge because of his brother’s links to a pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein Continue to embarrass the monarchy.
In an explosive announcement, buckingham palace He said Andrew was given notice on Thursday to leave the 30-room mansion and in future he would be known only as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, effectively living as a commoner.
It is understood that Andrew will now live at the Sandringham estate at the King’s expense, while his ex-wife remains sarah ferguson She will also move out and make her own living arrangements.
Palace officials had hoped that forcing Andrew to give up his title of Duke of York would end the furor, but with MPs demanding answers about Pepper’s rent paid at the Windsor estate, the king stepped in to end the saga.
It is understood that although Andrew has denied Epstein’s recent allegations, Buckingham Palace believes there have been “serious lapses in judgement”.
In a statement, the palace said: “Prince Andrew will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.
“His lease at the Royal Lodge has, to date, provided him with legal protection to remain in residence. He has now been given formal notice to surrender the lease and he will move to alternative private accommodation.
“These condemnations are deemed necessary, despite the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him.”
The statement said: “Her Majesty wishes to make clear that her thoughts and utmost sympathies are and remain with the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse.”
It is understood that although the king formally initiated the process of removing his titles and honours, Andrew did not object.
The Prince of Wales, like the wider royal family, is understood to be supportive of the monarch’s decision. William was put in an untenable position when he was ambushed by Andrew during the Duchess of Kent’s recent funeral, with the disgraced royal trying to talk down his nephew, who barely acknowledged him.
It is understood that Andrew’s transfer to an undisclosed property on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk will take place as soon as possible.
Andrew faced a new round of public humiliation after emails emerged earlier this month showing he had been in contact with Epstein for a longer period of time than previously believed.
That news followed the publication of the posthumous memoir of Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre, who alleged that she had sex with Andrew when she was 17 years old. It detailed three alleged sexual encounters with Andrew, in which she said he behaved as if he believed “it was his birthright to have sex with me”.
The family of Ms Giuffre, who committed suicide in April, said in a statement that “today, she announces a victory” and that she had “defeated a British prince with her truth and extraordinary courage”.
A statement to the BBC from Ms Giuffre’s family said: “Today, an ordinary American girl from an ordinary American family defeated a British prince with her truth and extraordinary courage.
“Virginia Roberts Giuffre, our sister, who was sexually abused by Andrew when she was a child, never stopped fighting for accountability for what happened to her and countless other survivors like her.
“Today, she declares a victory. We, her family, along with her surviving sisters, continue Virginia’s fight and will not rest until equal accountability is applied to all of her abusers and enablers, including Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.”
Andrew, 65, has long denied Giuffre’s claims, but stepped back from royal duties in November 2019 after the disastrous BBC newsnight Interview in which he attempted to refute her allegations.
They paid him millions in an out-of-court settlement in 2022 after Giuffre filed a civil suit against him in New York. Although he did not admit wrongdoing, he acknowledged Giuffre’s suffering as a victim of sex trafficking. Giuffre died by suicide in April at the age of 41.
Her family said in a statement that “she declares a victory” and that she “defeated a British prince with her truth and extraordinary courage”.
The statement given to the BBC said: “Today, an ordinary American girl from an ordinary American family defeated a British prince with her truth and extraordinary courage.
,Virginia Roberts GiuffreOur sister, who was sexually abused by Andrew when she was a child, has never stopped fighting for accountability for what happened to her and countless other survivors like her.
“Today, she declares a victory. We, her family, along with her surviving sisters, continue Virginia’s fight and will not rest until equal accountability is applied to all of her abusers and enablers, including Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.”
Giuffre’s brother praised the king for “setting an example” but said “we need to take it another step further”. Speaking to BBC Newsnight, Skye Roberts thanked Charles for the Buckingham Palace statement, which noted his “thoughts and utmost sympathy” with “victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse”.
Mr Roberts said: “But that’s not enough, that’s not enough, we have to have some sort of investigation that leads into this. I mean that [Andrew] Still walking around a free man.
“I applaud the king, I think he’s doing a wonderful job as a world leader, setting an example, but we need to take it another step further: He [Andrew] “Needs to stay behind bars, period.”
Sigrid McCauley, Giuffre’s lawyer during the civil sexual harassment case against Prince Andrew, said the King stripping Andrew of his titles was a “tipping point”.
He said, “Virginia Giuffre’s voice changed history. Her bravery, determination and resilient spirit led to this defining moment.”
“As we mark the important point of the King stripping his brother Andrew of his title of “Prince”, it should be a lesson for all survivors of abuse to listen, listen and believe.”
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said Charles was “absolutely right” to do so. He added: “It is clear that Andrew’s position has become completely untenable, bringing disgrace to his office and embarrassment to the country.
“This is an important step toward rebuilding trust in our institutions and drawing a line under this whole tragic saga.”
The Lib Dems had urged the Government to allow time for the Andrew’s Royal Lodge lease to be debated in Parliament.
He has lived there in a peppery rental since 2003, although he paid £1 million for the lease and an additional £7.5 million for renovations.
But Downing Street said last week that MPs would not be given time to discuss his conduct in the House of Commons because the royal family wants Parliament to focus on “important issues”.
Speaking on an LBC radio phone-in, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said: “I’m following this story more about a family. It’s a very sad situation. I think the King clearly felt this was the right decision for the royal family. It must have been a very difficult thing for him to do. I mean, to do that to his own brother.
“But now the standards and expectations in society are much higher. People expect to see the highest levels of integrity.”
Stephen Flynn, leader of the Scottish National Party at Westminster, said on Twitter: “The right decision and an important moment for Epstein’s victims.
“I hope that those who were elected to Parliament and decided to defend by inaction rather than speak out are now regretting their decision.”
The SNP had tabled a motion to create a new law to formally strip Andrew of his dukedom.