The former Duke of York will lose his naval title, the defence secretary has said, as King Charles seeks to put an end to the scandal involving his brother’s connection with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Andrew Mountbatten Windsor will be stripped of his honorary rank of vice-admiral, which he was awarded in 2015 and held onto even after relinquishing other military roles in 2022, John Healey confirmed on Sunday.
Healey told BBC One’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg that ministers were collaborating with the king to remove Mountbatten Windsor’s naval honours, following last week's decision to strip him of his royal title as prince and evict him from Royal Lodge.
Healey said: “In general, the government has followed the decisions and judgments the king has made. In defence, it’s exactly the same."
“We’ve seen Andrew surrender the honorary positions he’s had throughout the military, and guided again by the king, we are currently working to remove that last remaining title of vice-admiral that he holds.”
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Asked whether Mountbatten Windsor might also lose his military medals, Healey responded that they were “medals for his service,” adding, “I don’t have an update for you on that, but just as with his rank and title of vice-admiral, we would follow the decisions the king makes.”
Mountbatten Windsor has faced renewed scrutiny over his ties to Epstein following the publication of posthumous memoirs by Virginia Giuffre, who claimed she was forced to have sex with the former prince on three occasions, including once when she was 17 and another time during an orgy after being trafficked by Epstein. Mountbatten Windsor denies the allegations.
This weekend, it was revealed that Mountbatten Windsor wrote to Epstein in 2010 after Epstein was released from jail on charges of soliciting prostitution.
Newly released emails show the former prince telling Epstein, “I have no immediate plans to drop by New York but I think I should at some stage soon. I’ll look and see if I can make a couple of days before the summer. It would be good to catch up in person.”
Epstein was jailed for soliciting prostitution from a minor in July 2009. In email exchanges between the two released on Friday, the disgraced financier suggested to Mountbatten Windsor on April 15, 2010, that he meet the former JP Morgan executive Jes Staley, who was banned from the UK banking sector for life in June for misleading the watchdog over his relationship with Epstein.
Mountbatten Windsor replied that he would not be in the UK but would “make sure I meet [Staley] soon on another trip.”
The then-duke and Epstein were photographed together in Central Park in New York in December of that year in a meeting that the former later described as a “wrong decision.”
Mountbatten Windsor served in the navy for over 20 years, including as a helicopter pilot during the Falklands War. After Giuffre filed a civil case in New York three years ago, he stopped using most of his military titles but retained the rank of vice-admiral. The navy pension is his only current source of declared income, after serving between 1979 and 2001. It is said to amount to £20,000 a year.
Buckingham Palace formally announced last week that he would lose the titles of prince and Duke of York, as well as being required to leave his residence at Royal Lodge for private accommodation in Sandringham.
Palace officials collaborated with civil servants in the Cabinet Office to avoid having parliament make the decision, eventually agreeing that the king should abolish the dukedom entirely using his royal prerogative powers.
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The Guardian revealed on Friday that the king had approved a six-figure, one-off payment for his brother and was prepared to personally fund an annual stipend, which sources said was intended to prevent him from overspending in his new life as a commoner. They added that discussions on the financial package were ongoing.
While the loss of his titles takes effect immediately, the former prince is not expected to leave Royal Lodge until after Christmas, meaning he will not be present when the royals gather at Sandringham for the holiday.
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