In the midst of the ongoing Jeffrey Epstein scandal, former Prince Andrew has been left with only one remaining connection to the royal family.
Following Buckingham Palace’s announcement that Andrew Windsor has been stripped of his royal titles and required to vacate his royal residence, a surprising detail has come to light.
Andrew has lost his Duke of York and HRH titles, and is now referred to as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.
King Charles issued a directive for him to leave his home at Royal Lodge ‘as soon as is practicable,’ a residence he has called home for two decades.
Once he departs, he is expected to move into a smaller dwelling.
Despite being largely distanced from the family, there remains a singular link to his royal lineage.
This connection is his position in the line of succession.
Although confirmed to have no active role, title, or residence within the royal family, Andrew retains his place in the succession order.
This was made evident when Royal.UK retained Andrew’s position as eighth in the official line of succession.
Currently, the line of succession is listed as follows:
1. The Prince of Wales
2. Prince George of Wales
3. Princess Charlotte of Wales
4. Prince Louis of Wales
5. The Duke of Sussex
6. Prince Archie of Sussex
7. Princess Lilibet of Sussex
8. The Duke of York
9. Princess Beatrice
10. Miss Sienna Mapelli Mozzi
The response to this development has been mixed, with Trade Minister Sir Chris Bryant expressing to BBC Breakfast that Andrew should be extradited to the United States to address questions regarding Jeffrey Epstein’s activities.
He stated: “I think that just as with any ordinary member of the public, if there were requests from another jurisdiction of this kind, I would expect any decently-minded person to comply with that request.”
“So I feel exactly the same in this situation.” He further commented: “What I’m basically saying is that I think that if Andrew is asked to do something by a Senate committee, then I would have thought that he would want to comply.”
Regarding the stance of the UK’s Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, he has openly expressed his full support for the King’s decision to strip Andrew of his titles.
“We fully support the decision taken yesterday by the Palace,” a spokesperson conveyed, also acknowledging Epstein’s victim, Virginia Giuffre. “Our hearts go out to the family of Virginia Giuffre and all the victims who suffered from Jeffrey Epstein’s despicable crimes.”
Tragically, Giuffre passed away by suicide earlier this year, shortly before the release of her revealing memoir about Epstein.
“We echo the statement yesterday that our thoughts and utmost sympathies have been and will remain with the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse,” the statement continued, in reference to Buckingham Palace’s announcement on October 30.
Despite support for the removal of his titles, Downing Street has clarified that there are no plans to legislate a change in the line of succession to eliminate Andrew from it.
A government spokesperson indicated that there is no intention to pursue such changes, according to the BBC.