🔗 Share this article

Prince Andrew is set to lose his honorary military rank as the monarch seeks to draw a line under the ongoing scandal regarding his brother's relationship with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Stripping of Honors In Progress

The former prince is losing his military title of vice-admiral, which he was granted in 2015 and kept even after surrendering other armed forces roles in 2022.

The defense minister announced on Sunday that ministers were working with the king to remove his naval honours.

"Typically, the administration follows the rulings and determinations the king has made. In defence, it's exactly the same," Healey stated.

Additional Consequences

When questioned about Mountbatten Windsor could forfeit his service awards as well, Healey responded that they were "awards recognizing his military career" and added: "There's no current information on that, but similar to his naval title, we would be directed by the decisions the king makes."

Historical Circumstances

Mountbatten Windsor has been under renewed scrutiny over his connections with Epstein following the release of posthumous memoirs by Virginia Giuffre, who claims she was forced to have sex with Mountbatten Windsor on multiple instances, including when she was 17 years old.

Newly released emails reveal that the former prince wrote to Epstein in 2010 after the financier got out from jail on charges of soliciting prostitution.

Through email exchanges made public recently, the disgraced financier proposed that Andrew meet former JP Morgan executive Jes Staley, who was prohibited from the UK banking sector for life in June for deceiving regulators about his connections to Epstein.

Military Service

The former duke served in the navy for more than two decades, including as a aircraft commander during the 1982 conflict. After a civil case was initiated three years ago, he stopped using most of his military titles but retained the rank of vice-admiral.

His military retirement pay is his only current source of declared income after serving between 1979 and 2001, amounting to twenty thousand pounds annually.

Recent Developments

Buckingham Palace formally announced last week he would be stripped of the honors of prince and Duke of York, as well as being made to leave his home in Windsor and relocate to personal housing in Sandringham.

Palace officials had worked with government employees in the government department to prevent the decision having to be taken by parliament, eventually agreeing that the king should abolish the dukedom entirely using his powers of royal prerogative.

While the removal of honors comes into effect right away, the ex-royal is not expected to leave Royal Lodge until after Christmas, meaning he will not be in attendance when the royals gather at Sandringham for the holiday.