The King is formally removing all the titles of his brother,
Prince Andrew, with immediate effect.
The process of taking away the titles, including that of prince
and HRH, is under way but from now on, The King’s brother is to be
known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
He’ll also move out of Royal Lodge imminently, making his home
at a residence on the Sandringham Estate.
However, two royal roles remain for Andrew
Mountbatten-Windsor.
He is still eighth in line to the throne. And, as such, he is
also still eligible to act as a Counsellor of State, a temporary
stand in for the Monarch.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is in line to the throne as a
descendant of Queen Elizabeth II. An Act of Parliament would be
required to remove him and it would also have to be agreed by all
the other Commonwealth realms where Charles III is King.
His eligibility to be a Counsellor of State comes from his place
in the succession. The 1937 Regency Act states that if the Monarch
is unable to carry out their duties temporarily, either through ill
health or absence from the country, then two of those allowed to be
Counsellors of State will take on some of their role for them. The
consort and the first four adults in the line of succession can be
Counsellors of State – at the moment that is Queen Camilla, the
Prince of Wales, Prince Harry, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and
Princess Beatrice.
In reality, it is unlikely that Andrew would be called upon.
Soon after his succession, King Charles asked Parliament to add
Princess Anne and Prince Edward to the list of possible Counsellors
and that was quickly agreed. However, Mr Mountbatten-Windsor
retains the possibility of stepping in, temporarily, for the
Monarch.
That now seems totally unviable given that the Monarch has
stripped all his titles and honours from him. And given that past
changes to the Regency Act, including one in 1953 to allow Queen
Elizabeth The Queen Mother to be named again as a possible
Counsellor, have been straight forward, his removal doesn’t seem
impossible.
The decision of King Charles to remove all titles from Andrew
follows the publication of the posthumous memoir of Virginia
Giuffre who claimed she was forced to have sex with the former
prince three times when she was 17 years old. Andrew’s friendship
with convicted paedophile, Jeffrey Epstein, was also under further
scrutiny.
Buckingham Palace said in the statement removing Andrew’s titles
that ”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.”
King Charles will send Royal Warrants to the Lord Chancellor
asking for the removal from the Roll of the titles of Duke of York,
Earl of Inverness and Baron Killyleagh.
Andrew also loses his honour s including the Order of the Garter
and the Royal Victorian Order.
