Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is set to remain the Duke of York by law following an update from the Government, as the dukedom cannot be revoked without an Act of Parliament
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor remains the Duke of York by law, with the Government saying there is “no need” to introduce legislation to remove the title.
The King officially stripped his brother of his prince title and HRH style earlier this month, while also removing him from the Roll of the Peerage as the Duke of York. But the dukedom itself – handed to Andrew upon his marriage to Sarah Ferguson in July 1986 – cannot be taken away without an Act of Parliament, ministers have acknowledged.
Andrew cannot be referred to as a duke in official documents, but this does not erase the peerage itself, according to an expert Commons research briefing. The Government has been pressed at Westminster on whether it would bring in legislation to give effect to the King’s decision to remove all titles from Andrew.
Replying to a written question from Labour peer Viscount Stansgate, Labour frontbencher Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent said: “Following the statement made by Buckingham Palace on October 30, the entitlement to the title of ‘Prince’ and the style of ‘Royal Highness’ has been removed by Letters Patent.
“The title of the Duke of York has been removed from the Roll of the Peerage and will no longer be used officially. There is therefore no need for legislation to implement the measures that have been announced.”
Andrew was stripped of his titles amid growing controversy over his links to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein and the heightened public scrutiny following the sudden death of the ex-prince’s accuser, Virginia Giuffre, in April.
He is set to move from the Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park to the King’s private Sandringham estate at some point in the new year.
Buckingham Palace will hope the action taken draws a line under the scandal that has dogged Andrew after Ms Giuffre alleged she was sexually abused as a teenager by the former prince.
Andrew paid millions to settle a civil sexual assault case with her in 2022. The settlement was not an admission of guilt, and he strenuously denies the allegations.
The Metropolitan Police is also looking into claims Andrew passed Ms Giuffre’s date of birth and social security number to his taxpayer-funded bodyguard in 2011 and asked him to investigate.
