Former Duke Of York Andrew To Be Stripped Off His Military Title

Last Updated:November 02, 2025, 20:51 IST

Andrew Mountbatten Windsor loses his vice-admiral rank after King Charles's directive, following scandals linked to Jeffrey Epstein and Virginia Giuffre's memoir, Nobody’s Girl.

Prince Andrew's ties with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein gained a spotlight after the publication of a posthumous memoir, “Nobody’s Girl,” by his accuser Virginia Giuffre.

Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, the former Duke of York, will be stripped off from his honorary rank of vice-admiral, defence secretary John Healey said.

Andrew was honoured the title in 2015 and had retained even after giving up other military positions in 2022.

BBC quoted Healey as saying: “This is a move that’s right, it’s a move the King has indicated we should take and we’re working on that at the moment."

“In general, the government has been guided by the decisions and judgments the king has made. In defence, it’s exactly the same. We’ve seen Andrew surrender the honorary positions he’s had throughout the military, and guided again by the king, we are working now to remove that last remaining title of vice-admiral that he has," he said.

According to The Guardian, Andrew served in the navy for over 20 years, including as a helicopter pilot during the Falklands war. After a civil case in New York three years ago, he stopped using his military titles but held on the rank of vice-admiral.

Last week, Britain’s King Charles has initiated a process to remove Prince Andrew’s titles.

According to a statement, “His Majesty has today initiated a formal process to remove the Style, Titles and Honours of Prince Andrew."

“Prince Andrew will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. His lease on Royal Lodge has, to date, provided him with legal protection to continue in residence. Formal notice has now been served to surrender the lease and he will move to alternative private accommodation," the statement continued.

This comes after Andrew failed to answer to the scandal over his association with disgraced and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. His role gained a spotlight after the publication of a posthumous memoir, “Nobody’s Girl," by his accuser Virginia Giuffre.

According to CNN, Giuffre – who the prince claims never to have met – said in the memoir that Andrew sexually assaulted her while she was a teenager. Andrew has repeatedly denied all allegations against him. However, Andrew has repeatedly denied all allegations against him.

Andrew had even attempted to end the renewed scrutiny of his conduct by relinquishing use of his titles earlier this month. However, the memoir sparked questions about how he was able to pay Giuffre a reportedly multimillion-dollar settlement in a civil case in 2022 and fund his lifestyle despite having not been a working royal since 2019.

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