The King is formally removing all the titles of his brother, Prince Andrew, with immediate effect.
The process of taking away the titles, including that of prince and HRH, is under way but from now on, The King’s brother is to be known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
He’ll also move out of Royal Lodge imminently, making his home at a residence on the Sandringham Estate.
However, two royal roles remain for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
He is still eighth in line to the throne. And, as such, he is also still eligible to act as a Counsellor of State, a temporary stand in for the Monarch.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is in line to the throne as a descendant of Queen Elizabeth II. An Act of Parliament would be required to remove him and it would also have to be agreed by all the other Commonwealth realms where Charles III is King.
His eligibility to be a Counsellor of State comes from his place in the succession. The 1937 Regency Act states that if the Monarch is unable to carry out their duties temporarily, either through ill health or absence from the country, then two of those allowed to be Counsellors of State will take on some of their role for them. The consort and the first four adults in the line of succession can be Counsellors of State – at the moment that is Queen Camilla, the Prince of Wales, Prince Harry, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Princess Beatrice.
In reality, it is unlikely that Andrew would be called upon. Soon after his succession, King Charles asked Parliament to add Princess Anne and Prince Edward to the list of possible Counsellors and that was quickly agreed. However, Mr Mountbatten-Windsor retains the possibility of stepping in, temporarily, for the Monarch.
That now seems totally unviable given that the Monarch has stripped all his titles and honours from him. And given that past changes to the Regency Act, including one in 1953 to allow Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother to be named again as a possible Counsellor, have been straight forward, his removal doesn’t seem impossible.
The decision of King Charles to remove all titles from Andrew follows the publication of the posthumous memoir of Virginia Giuffre who claimed she was forced to have sex with the former prince three times when she was 17 years old. Andrew’s friendship with convicted paedophile, Jeffrey Epstein, was also under further scrutiny.
Buckingham Palace said in the statement removing Andrew’s titles that ”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.”
King Charles will send Royal Warrants to the Lord Chancellor asking for the removal from the Roll of the titles of Duke of York, Earl of Inverness and Baron Killyleagh.
Andrew also loses his honour s including the Order of the Garter and the Royal Victorian Order.
