Defence Secretary says ex-prince Andrew to be stripped of remaining honorary naval rank

The Defence Secretary has confirmed Andrew Mountbatten Windsor formallwill be stripped of his honorary rank of vice-admiral.

The honorary military title is his final one, as he relinquished the others in 2022 due to his ties to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

John Healey has confirmed his department was “working to remove” the rank, which Andrew was awarded on his 55th birthday in 2015.

Mr Healey said: “In general, the Government’s been guided by the decisions and judgments King Charles has made.”

“In defence, it’s exactly the same. And we’ve seen Andrew surrender the honorary positions he’s had throughout the military, and guided again by the King, we are working now to remove that last remaining title of vice-admiral that he has.”

The British Defence Secretary stated that the Ministry of Defence will be “guided by the decisions the King makes,” but he would not comment on whether Andrew would be allowed to keep his decorations, which include the campaign medal he was awarded for his service in the Falklands War.

The action comes after King Charles, in the ongoing aftermath of the Epstein scandal, decided on Thursday to strip his birther of the use of his royal “style, titles and honours.”

Earlier this month, Prince Andrew confirmed that he had decided to stop using his “title or the honours which have been conferred upon [him]”, which included the Duke of York.

This initial decision did not include his title as prince, as it was his birthright as the son of the late Queen Elizabeth II.

As the scandal surrounding Andrew’s friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein continues to mount, Buckingham Palace has now taken further action.

In a statement released on Thursday evening, King Charles announced that he has “initiated a formal process” to strip Andrew of all of his royal titles and honours, including the use of his ‘prince’ title.

The statement began: “His Majesty has today initiated a formal process to remove the Style, Titles and Honours of Prince Andrew. Prince Andrew will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.”

The statement went on to confirm that Andrew will also be moving out of his home at Royal Lodge and will relocate to Sandringham. Andrew’s residency at Royal Lodge had become an additional scandal in recent days, with members of the public expressing outrage that he has reportedly not paid rent for the accommodation since 2003.

King Charles’ message continued: “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.”

The statement added: “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.”

This latest move against the royal comes six years after BBC Newsnight’s explosive interview with Andrew, in which he addressed his friendship with the late Jeffrey Epstein.

During his conversation with presenter Emily Maitlis, Andrew said that he had cut all ties with Epstein in December 2010, shortly after they had been photographed together in New York.

However, old emails recently emerged that suggested that Andrew had privately stayed in touch with Epstein until February 2011. One such email reportedly read: “Keep in close touch and we’ll play some more soon!”

Andrew has yet to speak out about the removal of his prince title. He has also continued to “vigorously deny” the allegations.

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