Andrew has been stripped of his Prince title and will now be known simply as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.
The King’s brother will also leave his home in Royal Lodge and into ‘private accommodation’ Buckingham Palace confirmed last night.
Buckingham Palace said 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. 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. 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.”
Andrew will remain eighth in line to the throne after Prince William, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, Prince Harry, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
It comes after Andrew’s association with Jeffery Epstein tainted the royal family’s reputation. For several years he has also been dogged by claims he sexually abused after she was trafficked by Epstein, allegations Andrew has always strenuously denied.
King Charles is believed to have made the decision following Andrew’s serious lapses in judgement and the move is said to be supported by Charles’ son, Prince William.
The King will fund Andrew’s new home on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk and it is thought he will move into the property as soon as it can practically be managed.
Andrew’s ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, who currently shares a home with her former husband in Royal Lodge will not be given a new house by King Charles and will have to find somewhere else to live.
Several ex-Palace employees have previously come forward to share their experiences of what they witnessed in Andrew’s former bedroom at Buckingham Palace during their tenure, including teddy bears on the bed. Charlotte Briggs, a former maid who served at the Palace in the mid-90s, who alleged that the prince had 72 cuddly toys on his bed.
She said the toys had to be arranged in size order, and it took staff an entire day to learn how to set them out on his bed. Speaking to The Sun, she said: “As soon as I got the job, I was told about the teddies, and it was drilled into me how he wanted them. I even had a day’s training. Everything had to be just right. It was so peculiar.”
She added: “But he absolutely loved the teddies and was very clear about how he wanted them arranged.”
The largest teddies were reportedly positioned at the rear, with the remainder arranged in decreasing size order down to the smallest at the front. Charlotte alleged the prince’s two most cherished teddies sat on mahogany thrones beside his bed.
Royal biographer Ingrid Seward, whose most recent book My Mother and I was published on February 15, suggested his former wife Sarah Ferguson slept amongst the teddies during their time together. The specialist stated she was encircled by “around a dozen teddy bears” on his bed throughout their marriage.
In the meantime, an ITV documentary about Andrew claimed there were handwritten instructions for positioning the toys and other belongings in the chamber. Former Royal protection officer Paul Page said the handwritten guide allegedly featured two toy hippos, a black panther and bears, alongside three cushions labelled ‘Daddy’, ‘Ducks’ and ‘Prince’.
It demonstrated precisely where to position blankets, plus five toys and a fur, which had ribbons that needed to dangle from the bed’s edge.
Paul said the instructions were laminated and headed “DOY bed: Points for turn down and making the bed”, with Andrew maintaining the accompanying diagram near his bed whilst residing at the Palace.
Former Mirror journalist Ryan Parry, who successfully secured employment in Buckingham Palace also offered insight into Andrew’s bedroom. He covertly worked at the palace for two months in 2003 after utilising fabricated references to reveal the substantial security vulnerabilities at that time.
Whilst there, he had free rein to wander through Andrew’s private flat and discovered an ongoing jest with the household staff. This involved him leaving a stuffed monkey in peculiar spots.
The toy, which was the mascot of the former ITV Digital and a puppet sidekick of comedian Johnny Vegas, was left in unexpected places like the mouth of a taxidermied leopard.
