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Buckingham Palace announced in a statement Thursday that King Charles will strip his brother Prince Andrew of his remaining titles and banish him from the royal residence.
The palace said Andrew will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor rather than as a prince.
The move follows revelations about her relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
“His Majesty has today begun formal proceedings to strip Prince Andrew of his style, title and honor,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement.
“These charges are deemed necessary despite the fact that Their Majesties continue to deny the allegations against them. Their Majesties wish to make it clear that their thoughts and utmost sympathies remain with victims and survivors of all forms of abuse.”
Prince Andrew announced earlier this month that he would give up his royal title as Duke of York and other honors after his friendship with Mr. Epstein came under renewed scrutiny.
In a statement released by Buckingham Palace, Prime Minister Andrew said: “The continued accusations about me are a distraction from the work of Her Majesty and the Royal Family.”
He added: “With His Majesty’s consent, I now feel that I must go a step further. Therefore, I will no longer use the titles and honors bestowed upon me. I strongly deny the charges against me.”
The announcement comes ahead of the posthumous memoir of Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who died by suicide in April, alleging that Epstein trafficked her and had sexual contact with Andrew when she was 17 years old.
“Nobody’s Girl” details three alleged sexual encounters with Andrew, who she said acted as if he believed it was her “birthright to have sex with me.”
Andrew, 65, has long denied Giuffre’s claims, but resigned from royal duties in November 2019 following a disastrous BBC interview in which he attempted to refute her claims.
Andrew paid millions of dollars in an out-of-court settlement in 2022 after Giuffre filed a civil suit against him in New York.
Although he denied wrongdoing, he acknowledged Giuffre’s suffering as a victim of sex trafficking.
Giuffre died by suicide in April at the age of 41.
Additional sources of information • AP