Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, the commoner formerly known as 'prince', faces an uncertain future

He has lost his title as prince, lost his rent-free mansion on the sprawling grounds next to Windsor Castle and lost whatever remained of his reputation in the public eye. 

What is next for the commoner once known as Prince Andrew probably involves a fleet of moving trucks as he packs up the trappings of his once royal life to move to an isolated private home owned by his brother, King Charles III. As of Friday, he was no longer listed on the roll of the peerage, where he had previously appeared as Duke of York, another of his titles.

But life as he knew it will change dramatically given the king's unprecedented act to protect the monarchy by stripping his younger brother of his titles and evicting him from Royal Lodge, ostensibly to punish him for the allegations against him linked to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

“On a personal level, it must be pretty devastating and the ultimate humiliation for him," said Joe Little, editor of Majesty Magazine. “We know him to be rather an arrogant character, but this has got to be taking its toll on him mentally. It would be very strange if it weren’t.”

Watch moreThe Epstein case: The power of testimony

It was not exactly clear what house Andrew Mountbatten Windsor will occupy on the king’s private estate at Sandringham, 160 kilometres north of London. But it will undoubtedly be smaller than Royal Lodge, the luxurious 30-room home that belies its rustic name.

The Epstein drama was recently reignited by revelations that the former Duke of York stayed friends with the disgraced financier longer than he previously disclosed and by new allegations that surfaced when the posthumous memoir of his main accuser, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, was published earlier this month. 

Nearly a half-century remained on the lease that required the annual sum of a mere peppercorn, a symbolic figure historically used in real estate transactions. 

Andrew, 65, did not put up a fight when he was served notice to surrender the lease to the home, which lies on 50 hectares and includes a swimming pool, several cottages and a bird enclosure. 

He will move as soon as practical to Sandringham, the longtime refuge for Charles along the wind-swept North Sea coast of eastern England. The 8,000-hectare estate is where the family spends Christmas.

He is not expected to be among the other members of the family this year when they are seen walking to church on Christmas morning. 

'A huge fall from grace': Prince Andrew stripped of title, residence in wake of Epstein scandal

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His ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, who was also ensnared in the Epstein scandal, had shared Royal Lodge with him.

Ferguson, who is no longer known as the Duchess of York, will also have to find a new place to live.

The couple's daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, however, will retain their titles along with HRH, which stands for her royal highness, because they are the granddaughters of a sovereign, Queen Elizabeth II. 

King Charles III is stepping in with his private wealth to financially support his brother, whose money woes have been at the heart of previous scandals over shady business deals and questionable relationships. 

Mountbatten Windsor had ceased being a working member of the royal family since he was suspended from duties following a disastrous 2019 interview in which he tried to defend his relationship with Epstein. He has no known source of income beyond a modest pension from his 22-year Royal Navy career.

George Gross, a royal expert at King’s College London, said the financial arrangement makes sense. It shields the king from criticism that his brother is drawing from public coffers while showing that he's not abandoning him. 

“If Andrew is unable to be a working royal, and presumably is unemployable, then there has to be a little bit of thought as to what on earth is done with him for the remainder of his life,” Gross said.

“It’s clearly important that he’s provided for in some ways, because otherwise he becomes a potential pawn for anybody with negative or bad intentions.”

Watch moreEpstein and Prince Andrew: The villains in Giuffre's sex abuse memoir

It was not clear what other repercussions the former royal could face from an issue that has until now been handled mostly by the House of Windsor.

He previously settled a US sexual abuse lawsuit for millions of dollars with Giuffre, who died by suicide in April at the age of 41. Giuffre said she was 17 when she was trafficked by Epstein to have sex with Andrew in London. 

Andrew has repeatedly denied having sex with Giuffre or committing any crimes. A widely shared photograph shows the two of them together along with Epstein confidante Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving time for sex trafficking. 

“Today, an ordinary American girl from an ordinary American family brought down a British prince with her truth and extraordinary courage,” Giuffre’s family said in a statement.

Her brother Sky Roberts praised the king for “setting a precedent to the rest of the world to say, ‘I do stand with survivors. I am going to hold even my brother to account'.”

“But it’s still ... it’s not enough in the sense that he’s still walking around a free man," Roberts told Sky News.

Despite losing his nobility, the former prince remains eighth in line to the throne. 

Removing him from the line of succession would require action from Parliament and that is unlikely at this point. Whether there's an appetite to take up the succession issue later – or if the Epstein saga continues to bring damaging headlines – remains to be seen.

Lawmakers could have removed Andrew's titles, but the king took action in part to spare the government from wasting time on the matter. 

(FRANCE 24 with AP)