Earlier this week, Buckingham Palace confirmed the move in a statement: “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 decision comes after years of controversy surrounding Andrew’s links to Jeffrey Epstein, as well as allegations made by Virginia Giuffre in 2019. Although Andrew has denied all accusations, he stepped back from royal duties in 2019. Giuffre tragically died by suicide earlier this year.
Andrew has also reportedly left Royal Lodge, where he had lived for decades with his former wife, Sarah Ferguson, who has also lost her Duchess of York title.
What About Princess Beatrice and Eugenie?
Despite the fallout, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie are expected to keep their royal titles. However, questions have arisen about why their children are treated differently when it comes to titles.
Beatrice shares two daughters, Sienna and Athena, with her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, and is also stepmother to his son, Christopher Woolf.
Eugenie, meanwhile, has two sons, August and Ernest, with her husband Jack Brooksbank.
Unlike senior royals such as Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, or Prince Harry and Meghan Markle — who received new titles upon marriage — Beatrice and Eugenie were not granted additional titles when they married. As a result, their children did not automatically receive royal titles at birth.
Why Beatrice’s Children Have Titles — But Eugenie’s Do Not
The key difference lies in Beatrice’s marriage. Her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, is an Italian count, which means his children inherit noble titles through his family line.
Mozzi’s father, Count Alessandro Mapelli Mozzi, previously explained: “Edoardo is the only male descendant taking the family into the next generation.”
“He is a count, his wife will be a countess automatically, and any of their children will be counts or nobile donna.”
This means that Sienna and Athena hold aristocratic titles through their father, not through the British royal system.
Eugenie’s husband, Jack Brooksbank, does not hold a noble title, which is why their children, August and Ernest, do not have titles.
A Renewed Debate Around Royal Titles
With Andrew’s titles now removed, discussions about status, privilege, and tradition within the royal family have resurfaced. While Beatrice and Eugenie remain princesses, their children’s differing titles highlight how lineage, marriage, and long-standing customs continue to shape royal naming conventions.
As public interest grows, the situation offers a clearer look at how royal and aristocratic systems intersect — and why not all descendants are treated the same when it comes to titles.
