Why King Charles Finally Took Action Against Prince Andrew — Years After the Epstein Scandal Meredith Kile, Simon PerryOctober 30, 2025 at 10:44 PM 0 Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty; Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty; Rick Friedman/Rick Friedman Photography/Corbis via Getty King Charles; Prince Andrew; Jeffrey Epstein ...
- - Why King Charles Finally Took Action Against Prince Andrew — Years After the Epstein Scandal
Meredith Kile, Simon PerryOctober 30, 2025 at 10:44 PM
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Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty; Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty; Rick Friedman/Rick Friedman Photography/Corbis via Getty
King Charles; Prince Andrew; Jeffrey Epstein -
Buckingham Palace announced on Oct. 30 that King Charles was stripping Prince Andrew of all royal titles
The action is the latest fallout from renewed scrutiny over Andrew's relationship with late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein
While Andrew has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, it was recently revealed that he has lied about details regarding his friendship and activities with Epstein
In an unprecedented moment for the British royal family, Buckingham Palace announced on Thursday, Oct. 30, that King Charles was officially stripping all royal titles, including prince, from his brother Prince Andrew.
Andrew, 65, will now be known simply as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, no longer a prince or His Royal Highness. The move is a continuation of the fallout from ongoing revelations about Andrew's relationship with late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Consequences for Andrew have been coming at a slow trickle for more than a decade, culminating in this ultimate royal eviction. In 2008, Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting sex from a minor. At that time, his friendship with Andrew was well-documented, and the two had been photographed together at President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate.
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Melania Trump, Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, Gwendolyn Beck and Jeffrey Epstein at Mar-a-Lago in 2000
Then, in 2015, Andrew was named in a lawsuit against Epstein filed by noted survivor Virginia Giuffre, alleging that she was sex trafficked to the former prince when she was 17 and had three sexual encounters with him. Andrew has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
Andrew stepped back from his duties as a working royal in November 2019, following a scrutinized interview with BBC's Newsnight about his alleged ties to Epstein.
Then, in January 2022, Queen Elizabeth stripped her second son of his military titles and patronages after he attempted to have Giuffre's sexual assault lawsuit against him dismissed. The following month, he settled with Giuffre out of court for an undisclosed sum.
Giuffre died by suicide on April 24, 2025. She was 41.
Scrutiny has intensified in recent weeks after the publication of Giuffre's posthumous memoir. In the book, she wrote that Andrew "believed having sex with me was his birthright."
So what was the final nail in the coffin for King Charles?
PEOPLE understands that the King reached his decision with the support of members of the royal family, including Prince William. While Andrew continues to deny the accusations against him, it is clear that there have been serious lapses of judgment from the King's perspective.
As for why the King didn't act sooner, PEOPLE understands that Charles acted swiftly following recent developments that made it possible for his brother to relinquish his titles and honors in the most immediate and efficient way possible. While a longer-term resolution to the complex legal and constitutional issues surrounding Andrew's status took time to finalize, sources say the necessity of further action was never in doubt. The King's decision follows behind-the-scenes discussions, legal consultation and support from the wider royal family to bring about a resolution without imposing on Parliamentary time.
Most recently, it was revealed that Andrew lied in his Newsnight interview about cutting off contact with Epstein when he truly hadn't. He told journalist Emily Maitlis at the time that he had cut ties with the billionaire in 2010.
However, on Oct. 12, 2025, The Mail on Sunday and The Sun on Sunday concurrently published an email that the then-Duke of York allegedly wrote to Epstein on the day after the infamous picture of him with his arm around Giuffre was published by The Mail on Sunday in 2011.
Andrew reportedly wrote, "I'm just as concerned for you! Don't worry about me! It would seem we are in this together and will have to rise above it."
"Otherwise, keep in close touch, and we'll play some more soon!!!!" he added, before signing off with "A, HRH The Duke of York, KG." The "KG" is a reference to him being a knight of the prestigious Order of the Garter. All of the titles in Andrew's sign-off have since been stripped from him in the weeks since the email was published.
Andrew's ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, also had an incriminating email to Epstein revealed recently.
In a March 2011 interview with the Evening Standard, Sarah publicly disowned the billionaire predator, telling the publication she had made a "terrible, terrible error of judgment" when she accepted nearly $20,000 from him to pay off her debts. Referencing the accusations against Epstein, she added, "I abhor paedophilia."
However, last month, The Sun and The Mail on Sunday published an email that reportedly proved Sarah had backtracked privately on that statement just weeks later. She sent a message to Epstein apologizing and calling him a "steadfast, generous and supreme friend."
"As you know, I did not, absolutely not, say the P [pedophile] word about you," she reportedly wrote. "I know you feel hellaciously let down by me. And I must humbly apologise to you and your heart for that. You have always been a steadfast, generous and supreme friend to me and my family."
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In addition to losing his title, Andrew is also being forced to give up his longtime living arrangements at Royal Lodge in Windsor. He is set to relocate to an unnamed property on the private Sandringham estate, with future accommodations privately funded by King Charles.
PEOPLE understands that Sarah, who has been living with her ex for many years, will be making her own arrangements for a new residence.
The palace's statement read, in part, "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. These censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him."
"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," the statement concluded.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.
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