After being stripped of his title, and evicted from his home, former-Prince Andrew has one thing left – being eighth in line to the throne.
Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, as the shamed ex-Duke is now known, has become a rare outcast of the Royal Family.
Last night, King Charles made the momentous decision to all but cut him loose from the House of Windsor.
Stripped of his titles, honours and the right to be addressed as ‘His Royal Highness’ following years of scrutiny over his alleged connections to the dead paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, the 65-year-old’s future now looks dire.
His only tenuous link to the family that have turned their backs on him is the ancient tradition of the line of succession.
But with so many ahead of him, the possibility of him ever being seated on the throne is smaller than ever.
Upon the death of King Charles, his eldest son William, the Prince of Wales, will ascend to the throne.
Next are his children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Louis. As the eldest child, George is second in line, while his sister, younger than him by two years, is third. Louis is next after his sister.
With no royal blood in her Catherine, Princess of Wales, is not eligible to be part of the line of succession.
Andrew Mountbatten Windsor (pictured) became a rare outcast of the Royal Family
Instead, that honour goes to the Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry. Then comes Prince Archie, as the eldest of the Sussex children, before his sister Princess Lilibet.
Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, is also not part of the line of succession, again because she is not of royal descent.
Finally, behind Harry and Meghan’s four-year-old daughter, Andrew finds his place.
In a clinically cold statement, Buckingham Palace made it clear that the censures were ‘deemed necessary, not withstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him’, a reference to claims by the late Virginia Giuffre that she was sex-trafficked to the late Queen’s son by convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Sources said it was ‘clear that there have been serious lapses of judgment’.
The Palace added pointedly: ‘Their Majesties wish to make clear that their thoughts and utmost sympathies have been, and will remain with, the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse.’
The brutal 109-word statement came after weeks of renewed accusations, triggered by The Mail on Sunday, which revealed bombshell emails laying bare the depth of his friendship with Epstein and revealing that the prince lied when he claimed to have cut off all contact with the predator in 2010.
Combined with Mrs Giuffre’s devastating posthumous memoir, which was published last week, further revelations about Andrew’s links with questionable businessmen and mounting public fury over the advantageous lease on his Windsor mansion, the King acted decisively once and for all.
The late Virginia Giuffre (pictured, right) claimed that she was sex-trafficked to the late Queen’s son by convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein
The move was said to have been entirely down to the King and his advisers, without pressure from the government. The monarch is pictured in Australia earlier this month
Buckingham Palace’s statement marks a devastating and unprecedented fall from grace for a man who was born second in line to the throne, found fame as a Falklands hero and was handed a plum role as Britain’s special ambassador for trade.
The Palace said: ‘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. His lease on Royal Lodge has, to date, provided him with legal protection to continue in residence.
‘Formal notice has now been served to surrender the lease and he will move to alternative private accommodation. These censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him.’
Sources told the Daily Mail that the move was entirely down to the King and his advisors, without pressure from the Government or other family members, such as Prince William.
It was prompted, they said, as a result of the ‘serious lapses of judgment which his brother has shown’.
They also made it clear that His Majesty had the support of his family, including the Prince of Wales.
Buckingham Palace made it clear that His Majesty had the support of his family, including the Prince of Wales
Andrew, 65, has also agreed to surrender his lease on Royal Lodge (pictured) and will be banished to a private home on the monarch’s Sandringham Estate in Norfolk
From now on, the former Duke of York (pictured) will simply be known as Mr Andrew Mountbatten Windsor – losing even his birth title of prince
A Kensington Palace source said: ‘The Royal Family, including the Prince of Wales, fully support the King’s leadership on this matter. These decisions have been the King’s, with the support of the wider family.’
The Royal Family has also taken into account the personal welfare of all those involved, including Andrew himself.
Another source revealed: ‘The process has been under way for some while, but there was a need to get it right in the face of some very big challenges.’
In another brutally dismissive remark, sources said that Andrew’s ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, with whom he still lives, ‘will make her own arrangements’ when it comes to her future.
While she could live with Andrew in Norfolk it is understood that she intends to, finally, live separately from him, almost 30 years after they divorced.
