With his former royal roles removed, the palace confirmed that he will now be known simply as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, a change that has officially been reflected on the royal family’s line of succession page.
Although updates were quickly made to remove Andrew’s profile and biography from the family website, his listing on the line of succession page initially remained unchanged, still referring to him as the Duke of York. As of November 26, the website finally updated this and now identifies him as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
Position in the line of succession remains unchanged
Despite losing his royal titles, honors, and public duties, Andrew, 65, remains in the official order of succession.
As the second son of Queen Elizabeth II, he was born second-in-line to the throne, directly after his older brother Charles. Over time, as Charles welcomed children and grandchildren, Andrew moved further down the list. He is currently eighth in line, sitting behind Prince Harry’s children, Prince Archie, 6, and Princess Lilibet, 4.
As reported by the BBC, Andrew cannot be removed from the line of succession without an Act of Parliament, and approval would also be required from Commonwealth realms where King Charles serves as monarch.
Although extremely rare, there is precedent for royals being removed from succession. King Edward VIII was removed after his 1936 abdication, and Prince Michael of Kent lost his position in 1978 when he married a Catholic, though he was later reinstated in 2013 under updated law.
The fallout from his ties to Epstein
Andrew stepped back from public royal life in 2019 after his notorious BBC interview addressing his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died in jail the same year while awaiting trial on charges of trafficking minors.
In early 2022, Andrew also lost his military titles and patronages after a judge rejected his attempt to dismiss Virginia Giuffre’s sexual assault lawsuit. He later settled the case out of court for an undisclosed amount.
In a memoir released after her death, Giuffre, who died by suicide last April, alleged Epstein arranged three encounters between her and Andrew, beginning when she was 17. She also wrote that Andrew “believed having sex with me was his birthright.” Leaked emails also appeared to show Andrew remained in touch with Epstein after publicly claiming he had ended all contact.
Andrew has repeatedly denied wrongdoing.
Stripping of titles and future plans
In mid-October, Andrew issued a statement announcing he would voluntarily stop using his titles. Yet only weeks later, Buckingham Palace confirmed the King had already begun formal proceedings to fully remove all royal titles and HRH styling from his brother, a decision reportedly made after Andrew crossed what insiders described as “the ultimate act of disrespect” toward the Queen.
On November 3, the changes were made official through Letters Patent.
On November 17, Andrew was seen riding a horse on the grounds of Windsor Castle — his first public appearance since the announcement. The sighting indicated that he had not yet left Royal Lodge, the 30-bedroom property where he has lived for 20 years. However, the palace confirmed he will relocate to the family’s Sandringham estate “as soon as possible and practicable.”
