The former Prince Andrew found himself out of the royal house step by step, following his entanglement with Jeffrey Epstein and the public uproar that led to the sexual assault claims against him, claims that ended in an out-of-court settlement but left a heavy stain on his status. Since 2019, he has been dismissed from his positions, lost his sponsorships and military titles, and finally also the title of prince. Now comes the final move: King Charles officially removes his name from the last prestigious orders he held, removing any trace of royal status.
Last night (Monday) the London Gazette, the official newspaper of the British government, published a notice revealing that the King had ordered Andrew’s name to be deleted from the books of the Order of the Garter and from the Royal Victorian Order. At the end of the publication it was noted that the announcement “will be dated October 30, 2025”, the day Buckingham Palace announced that the monarch had begun the process of removing all of Andrew’s titles and decorations.
The statement was issued through the Central Bureau of Knighthood Affairs, the body that administers state decorations in the United Kingdom, through St. James’s Palace in London. The statement reads: “The King has ordered that the appointment of Andrew Albert Christian Edward Mountbatten-Windsor as ‘Knight Member of the Most Noble Order of the Garter’, dated April 23, 2006, be revoked and the record bearing his name deleted.”
It also reads: “The King has ordered that the appointment of Andrew Albert Christian Edward Mountbatten-Windsor as ‘Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order’, dated February 19, 2011, be canceled and the record bearing his name deleted.” The government newspaper referred to Andrew by his full name, as the palace had previously clarified that this was his official name after he lost the title of prince.
The two decorations now being awarded were titles bestowed upon him by his mother, Queen Elizabeth. The Order of the Garter is Britain’s oldest and most prestigious order of chivalry, while the Royal Victorian Order is awarded for exceptional service to the Monarch and the Royal Household.
The update comes after Andrew (65) announced on October 17 that he was relinquishing all his royal titles and decorations, an announcement that came in the wake of renewed criticism surrounding the depth of his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, the sex offender who committed suicide in 2019 while in custody awaiting trial.
Andrew already stepped down from his royal duties in November 2019, after an unforgettable interview with the BBC in which he discussed his connections with Epstein. In January 2022, Queen Elizabeth stripped him of his military titles and patronage, after the court rejected his attempt to dismiss the sexual assault lawsuit brought against him by Virginia Giuffra, one of Epstein’s victims.
Andrew reached an out-of-court settlement and paid Joffer an undisclosed sum, and continues to deny any criminal involvement. Jofra ended her life in April this year when she was only 41 years old.