Andrew to remain in royal succession line as move to Sandringham delayed after King Charles strips titles
There are no plans to formally remove Andrew from the line of succession, Downing Street has confirmed, with the move by the King’s disgraced brother from his Windsor mansion to be delayed until after Christmas.
Charles stripped his younger sibling of his Prince and Duke of York titles after the continued public outcry over his connections with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and sexual assault claims. Andrew, who denies the allegations, has agreed to move out of his 30-room home.
The former prince will not move from Windsor to Sandringham until after Christmas, because of the lengthy process of giving up his home.
Sandringham in Norfolk is the venue for the traditional Christmas gathering for members of the royal family and the delay will mean any potential encounter with Andrew over the festive period is avoided.
After the King’s dramatic decision to take action against his brother, now known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, the disgraced former duke is reportedly said to be “sanguine” about events.
Andrew was accused by Virginia Giuffre of sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager and claims she was trafficked by Epstein to have sex with the royal. The King’s brother has strenuously denied the allegations.
Andrew remains eighth in line to the throne, but in the highly unlikely scenario he was on the verge of becoming monarch it is likely public pressure would intervene.
But there have been calls to bring in legislation to stop any chance, however remote, of him becoming King.
Downing Street said there were no plans for legislative changes, when asked about potentially making it easier to strip peerages in the future or remove Andrew from the line of succession.
“From the government’s perspective, there are no plans to make legislative changes,” the Prime Minister’s spokesman said.
The spokesman added: “The government is focused on using parliamentary time to improve the lives of working people.”
When interviewed on Sky News, her brother Sky Roberts called for Andrew to be “investigated”.
He said he would welcome a conversation with the King with “open arms”.
“I would love the opportunity to tell my sister’s story to the palace, because ... it’s one thing to see somebody on a camera, but when you see them face to face, we could really express that emotion and really get across the story that not only she holds, but also so many survivors out there,” he said.
“If the King is saying he stands with survivors and their victims, then meet with us, have a conversation with us.”
Mr Roberts said of the King’s decision to remove Andrew’s titles: “But it’s still, it’s not enough in the sense that he’s still walking around a free man.
“I mean, let’s not be naive, that he’s not going to be living on the side of the road here. He’s still in a very, let’s say, cushy spot … he should be investigated, let’s put it that way”.
He also called on the King to tell US President Donald Trump to “put your big boy pants on” and release the Epstein files.
Charles’s actions are already bearing fruit as Andrew’s name has been struck from the official roll of the peerage, which means the Duke of York title will no longer be used officially.
In the next few days the King is expected to send to the Lord Chancellor David Lammy the royal warrant, affecting the dukedom, and letters patent, which will formally remove Andrew’s entitlement to use the title prince and HRH style.
Andrew stepped down from public duties in 2019 after his disastrous Newsnight interview about his friendship with Epstein. As a non-working royal, he does not serve as a counsellor of state, who can deputise for the monarch if he is overseas on an official trip or ill.
Andrew will move to an undisclosed property on the King’s Sandringham estate, with the accommodation privately funded by the King, who will also make private financial provisions for his brother.
The former duke had a “cast-iron” lease for his Royal Lodge home. Only after negotiations with the King’s representatives did he agree to serve formal notice on Thursday to surrender the lease, which had more than 50 years left to run.
But the process around surrendering the lease and other formalities has some similarities with buying a property, which can be drawn out, although it is understood things are moving as quickly as practicable.
Visitors to Windsor Castle warned the scandal surrounding Andrew would damage the reputation of the royal family.
Standing outside Windsor Castle, Lara Delaney-Gray, 40, said the scandal has left a stain on her image of the royal family.
She said: “This isn’t just a tourist attraction, this is our culture. I’ve been brought up here and I remember as a child coming here and feeling proud of being here. So, suddenly, when it feels a bit mucky, it’s hard to have that pride.”
Roy Davies, 75, from Molesey, Surrey, said Andrew “deserves everything that is coming to him”.
He said the King was attempting to rescue the monarchy with his decision, but that he believed public opinion may have already swung too far.
Student Callum O’Neil, 19, said: “There’s so much controversy surrounding the royal family that’s happened within the last 20 years, which I’ve grown up with, and Andrew is such a big part of that.
“It’s definitely going to be a struggle for them to rebuild their reputation.”