King Charles III is stripping his younger brother Andrew of his royal titles and ousting him from his long-term residence on the Windsor estate, the palace said on Thursday, the latest fallout to hit the scandal-plagued royal over the Jeffrey Epstein affair.
āPrince Andrew will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor,ā Buckingham Palace said, adding Charles had begun the formal process to remove all his brotherās titles.
Andrew has also been told to move out of his long-time home on Windsor Castleās sprawling grounds, and he will move āto alternative private accommodationā as soon as possible.
The announcement followed a torrent of outrage at renewed accusations of sexual assault made by one of Jeffrey Epsteinās main accusers against the 65-year-old, who has denied the charges.
āThese censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him,ā the palace said.
āTheir 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,ā it added.
It comes days after the posthumous publication of Virginia Giuffreās memoir, in which the victim of US sex offender Epstein reiterated in shocking detail allegations that she was trafficked to have sex with Andrew three times, including twice when she was only 17.
It is understood that Andrew did not object to the kingās decision, and that the UK government has been consulted.
Giuffre took her own life in April, aged 41, while Epstein died by suicide in 2019 in prison awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges.
Giuffreās family, which had pushed for Andrewās title of prince to be removed, hailed the move Thursday, saying in a statement to the BBC that ātoday, she declares a victoryā.
