Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew, is the younger brother of King Charles III and the second son of Queen Elizabeth II. He has lost the title “Prince” and the style “Royal Highness,” and the Duke of York has been removed from the Roll of the Peerage. As of 8 October 2026 he is under police investigation and has not been charged. He has denied wrongdoing, and no court has ruled against him on the allegations made about his association with Jeffrey Epstein.
Who he is
Andrew was born into the royal family as the third child and second son of Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh. He is the younger brother of King Charles III. He was granted the Duke of York title in 1986 and also held the subsidiary peerage titles Earl of Inverness and Baron Killyleagh.
The name used in official documents has changed in wording. The Royal Household’s 2025 statement used “Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.” A later Palace clarification, as recorded by the House of Commons Library, said he would use the hyphenated form “Mountbatten-Windsor.” The Letters Patent that removed his titles use “Andrew Mountbatten Windsor” without the hyphen. This article uses “Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor” for contemporary usage.
Which titles he lost and which remain
Several different changes are often described as “stripping” Andrew of titles. They work differently, so the table separates them.
| Title or style | Status before 2025 | Official status now | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| “Prince” and “Royal Highness” | Used as his publicly styled form of address | Entitlement removed by Letters Patent after a formal Palace process | Buckingham Palace; UK Parliament, House of Commons Library |
| Duke of York (granted 1986) | Peerage title used in official contexts | Removed from the Roll of the Peerage and no longer used officially. The Commons Library states that removal from the Roll does not itself extinguish the peerage. | House of Commons Library |
| Earl of Inverness | Subsidiary peerage title | Removed from official use through removal from the Roll, according to the Commons Library | House of Commons Library |
| Baron Killyleagh | Subsidiary peerage title | Removed from official use through removal from the Roll, according to the Commons Library | House of Commons Library |
The sources cited here do not give the date of the Letters Patent, so this article does not state one.
How the titles were removed
- Andrew’s own decision. In 2025 he said he would stop using his titles and honours.
- Palace initiates the process. On 31 October 2025, Buckingham Palace announced that the King had “initiated a formal process to remove the Style, Titles and Honours of Prince Andrew.”
- Letters Patent. The formal instrument then removed his entitlement to “Prince” and “Royal Highness.”
- Roll of the Peerage. The Duke of York was removed from the Roll of the Peerage, so the title is no longer used officially.
Timeline of the allegations and proceedings
The table separates each event from what it does and does not establish.
| Date | Event | What it does and does not establish |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Andrew announced he would step back from public duties because of scrutiny of his association with Jeffrey Epstein. He said he had ended contact with Epstein in December 2010; later-reported correspondence from 2011 prompted renewed scrutiny. | Andrew denied wrongdoing. The announcement was a statement of his position, not a finding. |
| January 2022 | Buckingham Palace announced that his military affiliations and royal patronages had been returned to Queen Elizabeth II and that he would not undertake public duties while defending the case as a private citizen. | This was an administrative step by the Palace. It was not a legal finding. |
| February 2022 | He settled Virginia Giuffre’s New York civil lawsuit. Giuffre alleged that she was forced to have sex with him when she was 17. | This was a settlement. Andrew did not admit Giuffre’s allegations, though he acknowledged she had suffered as a victim of sexual abuse. A settlement is not a court finding of liability. |
| February 2026 | He was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office and released under investigation after approximately 11 hours of questioning, according to the Associated Press. The investigation included allegations that he shared confidential trade information with Epstein. | He was not charged and not exonerated. The allegations are under investigation and remain unproven. |
| 8 October 2026 | Thames Valley Police accepted that warrants used to search two of Andrew’s homes were unlawful and should be quashed. Justice Nicholas Hilliard said police had made a significant error in applying for them. | This ruling concerns the lawfulness of the searches. It does not decide the underlying allegations and is not an exoneration. |
Where the legal process stands
As of 8 October 2026, as reported by the Associated Press, the position is as follows:
- Investigation: Andrew remains under investigation and has not been charged.
- Search warrants: The warrants used at two of his properties were found unlawful and are to be quashed.
- Seized material: Separate proceedings about whether seized material can be retained, and how it will be managed, were ongoing at that date.
- Outcome: No outcome on the criminal allegations has been reached.
What he and the Palace have said
These are statements of position, not independent findings.
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- Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, statement published by the Royal Household, 17 October 2025: “As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me.”
- Buckingham Palace, 31 October 2025: “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.”
- Buckingham Palace, 31 October 2025: “His Majesty has today initiated a formal process to remove the Style, Titles and Honours of Prince Andrew.”
The sources cited here do not include a named statistic about this case beyond the roughly 11 hours of police questioning reported by the Associated Press.
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