Prince Andrew, the brother of King Charles and eighth in line to the British Crown, will be stripped of his titles and royal status after years of being dogged by his scandalous connection with the late sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
Prince Andrew, 65, was one of 200 people named as “associates” of Epstein’s in documents unsealed in January 2024. The documents came from the defamation lawsuit, by then settled, which Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre had brought against Epstein’s partner, Ghislaine Maxwell.
Giuffre, who died by suicide in April 2025, accused Prince Andrew of sexually assaulting her in her posthumously published memoir. As CatholicVote reported last year, “Giuffre has since 2014 claimed that Epstein trafficked her to the now-disgraced British royal when she was still a minor.”
Buckingham Palace issued a statement Oct. 30 announcing King Charles’ decision to remove his brother’s titles, also mentioning that Prince Andrew will be asked to vacate his mansion home.
“His Majesty has today initiated a formal process to remove the style, titles and honours of Prince Andrew,” the statement said. “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,” the statement continued. “Formal notice has now been served to surrender the lease and he will move to alternative private accommodation.”
“These censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him,” the statement concluded. “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.”
“Despite Thursday’s announcement,” CNN reported, “Andrew remains eighth in line to the British throne. That status could be removed by legislation, but it would require the consent of Commonwealth nations around the world, which would take time. The last time this protocol was used was when Edward VIII abdicated in 1936.”
The CNN report noted that Giuffre’s family welcomed the announcement.
“Today, an ordinary American girl from an ordinary American family, brought down a British prince with her truth and extraordinary courage,” the family said in a statement.
“Our sister, a child when she was sexually assaulted by Andrew, never stopped fighting for accountability for what had happened to her and to countless other survivors like her,” they added. “Today, she declares victory.”
The family also called for “the same accountability” to be applied “to all of the abusers and abettors connected to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.”
The entanglement of powerful corporate executives and Western government officials with Epstein continues to be a concerning issue for many in the American public.
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., is one politician who has made a point of pressing the issue in Congress – criticizing leaders in his party, including President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, for what he argues is a lack of transparency.
Vance spoke and took live questions from students Oct. 29 at the University of Mississippi as part of a Turning Point USA event, where a student asked him to respond to claims that the administration and GOP leaders are working against efforts like Massie’s.
“The final question of the event addressed Trump’s primary endorsement against Massie,” who had called “for the release of the full Jeffrey Epstein files,” The Hill reported. Vance responded, in part, by pointing to the many other areas in which Massie has bucked party leadership. “Vance defended the president, saying loyalty in politics is a two-way street,” according The Hill.
The next morning, Massie posted on X, in an apparent response to Vance’s criticisms, “When leaders of my own party protect sex traffickers, spend our grandkids into oblivion, fund endless wars, lockdown our citizens, bailout corporations, bow to other countries, and hurt small farmers … it’s true that I won’t be their yes man.”