Andrew served in the Royal Navy from 1979 to 2001. He saw active duty as a helicopter pilot during the Falklands War. He later became a helicopter instructor and commanded a warship. He married Sarah Ferguson in 1986,and was created Duke of York on their wedding day. They had two daughters,Beatrice and Eugenie,before separating in 1992 and divorcing in 1996. From 2001 to 2011 Andrew served as the UK's Special Representative for International Trade and Investment,but resigned following scrutiny of his expenses and associations with controversial figures. He continued to undertake official duties on behalf of Elizabeth II until 2019.
Andrew had a long‑standing association with Jeffrey Epstein,an American convicted sex offender,which attracted widespread criticism. In 2014 Virginia Giuffre alleged that she had been sex trafficked to Andrew by Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Andrew denied any wrongdoing,and in 2022 settled a civil lawsuit with Giuffre in the United States without admission of liability. In the same year,Elizabeth II removed his military affiliations and patronages,and he ceased using the style "Royal Highness". In 2025,following renewed scrutiny of his association with Epstein,Charles III removed Andrew's remaining royal styles and honours,and restricted his use of titles and peerages. He is also expected to vacate Royal Lodge,part of the Crown Estate,and relocate to private accommodation on the Sandringham Estate.
Early life
During a 45-day tour of Canada in June and July 1959, Queen Elizabeth II discovered that she was pregnant. The pregnancy was not disclosed to the public during the tour. After her return to London,[1]Buckingham Palace indicated on 7 August that she was expecting a baby by announcing that she would not undertake further public engagements.[2]
Andrew was born a prince at 3:30pm on 19 February 1960 at Buckingham Palace,[3] the third child and second son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. He was christened Andrew Albert Christian Edward in the Music Room of the palace on 8 April.[4]
Andrew was the first child born to a reigning British monarch since Princess Beatrice, the youngest daughter of Queen Victoria, in 1857.[5] Like his siblings, Charles, Anne and Edward, he was looked after by a governess, who oversaw his early education at Buckingham Palace.[6] He later attended Heatherdown School near Ascot in Berkshire.[7] In September 1973, he entered Gordonstoun in Moray, which his father and elder brother had also attended.[8] He was nicknamed "the Sniggerer" by his schoolmates at Gordonstoun, because of "his penchant for off-colour jokes, at which he laughed inordinately".[9][10] While there, he spent six months–from January to June 1977–participating in an exchange programme at Lakefield College School in Canada.[7][11] He left Gordonstoun in July two years later with A-levels[11] in English, history, and economics.[12]
Andrew's presence on board, and the risk of a royal family member being killed in action, made the British government apprehensive, and the Cabinet sought to move him a desk role for the duration of the conflict. The Queen, however, insisted that her son remain with his ship.[17] Andrew served on Invincible as a Sea King helicopter co-pilot, flying missions that included anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare, Exocet missile decoy operations, casualty evacuation, transport, and search and air rescue.[18][19][20] He witnessed the Argentine attack on SS Atlantic Conveyor.[21]
At the end of the war, Invincible returned to Portsmouth, where Elizabeth and Philip joined other families of the crew in welcoming the vessel home. According to historian Andrew Lownie, the Argentine military government planned, but ultimately did not attempt, to assassinate Andrew on Mustique in July 1982.[22] Although he had brief assignments to HMSIllustrious, RNAS Culdrose, and the School of Service Intelligence, Andrew remained with Invincible until 1983. Commander Nigel Ward's memoir Sea Harrier Over the Falklands described Andrew as "an excellent pilot and a very promising officer."[23]
In late 1983, Andrew transferred to RNAS Portland and was trained to fly the Lynx helicopter.[13] On 1 February 1984, he was promoted to lieutenant,[24] after which Elizabeth appointed him her personal aide-de-camp.[25] Andrew served aboard HMSBrazen as a flight pilot until 1986,[13] including deployment to the Mediterranean Sea as part of Standing NRF Maritime Group 2. He undertook the Lieutenants' Greenwich Staff course. On 23 October 1986, he transferred to the General List and enrolled on a four-month helicopter warfare instructor's course at RNAS Yeovilton. Upon graduation, he served from February 1987 to April 1988 as a helicopter warfare officer in 702 Naval Air Squadron, RNAS Portland. He later served on HMSEdinburgh as officer of the watch and Assistant Navigating Officer until 1989, including a six-month deployment to the Far East as part of exercise Outback 88.[13]
Andrew served as flight commander and pilot of the Lynx HAS3 on HMSCampbeltown from 1989 to 1991. He also acted as force aviation officer to Standing NRF Maritime Group 1 while Campbeltown was flagship of the NATO force in the North Atlantic from 1990 to 1991.[13] He passed the squadron command examination on 16 July 1991, attended the Staff College, Camberley, the following year, and completed the Army Staff course. He was promoted to lieutenant-commander on 1 February and passed the ship command examination on 12 March 1992. From 1993 to 1994, Andrew commanded the Hunt-class minehunterHMSCottesmore.[13]
From 1995 to 1996, Andrew was posted as senior pilot of 815 Naval Air Squadron, then the largest flying unit in the Fleet Air Arm. His main responsibility was to supervise flying standards and ensure effective operational capability.[13] He was promoted to commander on 27 April 1999,[13] and concluded his active naval career at the Ministry of Defence in 2001 as an officer of the Diplomatic Directorate of the Naval Staff.[13] In July that year, Andrew was retired from the Active List of the Navy.[26] He was made an honorary captain in 2004,[27] promoted to rear admiral on his 50th birthday on 19 February 2010,[28] and to vice admiral in 2015.[29][30]
Personal life
Relationships
Before marriage
In May 1978, the Evening Standard reported that Andrew had acquired the nickname "Randy Andy" (with "randy" being British slang for "sexually eager") while at Gordonstoun, owing to his being romantically involved with several women.[31]UPI also used this nickname, stating that before beginning his naval career in 1979 he "seemed to be in training as a professional playboy".[32]
Andrew met the American photographer and actress Koo Stark in February 1981, before his active service in the Falklands War.[33][34] In October 1982, they holidayed together on the island of Mustique.[35][36]Tina Brown later described Stark as Andrew's only serious love interest.[37] The couple separated in 1983 under pressure from the press and the palace.[33][37] In 1997, Andrew became godfather to Stark's daughter.[38] When Andrew faced accusations in 2015 regarding his association to Jeffery Epstein, Stark publicly defended him.[33]
The couple initially appeared to have a happy marriage and had two daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, presenting a united public image during the late 1980s. Sarah's personal qualities were regarded as refreshing within the formal protocol of the royal family.[40] Andrew's frequent travel due to his naval career, combined with relentless and often critical media attention on the Duchess of York, contributed to strains in the marriage.[41][42] On 19 March 1992, the couple announced plans to separate and did so amicably.[43] That August, tabloid newspapers published photographs of businessman John Bryan sucking Sarah's toes, effectively ending any prospect of reconciliation. Throughout the separation, Ferguson had maintained that Bryan was her financial adviser, a claim Andrew accepted.[44]
The marriage ended in divorce on 30 May 1996. Andrew spoke warmly of his former wife in 2008, saying, "We have managed to work together to bring our children up in a way that few others have been able to and I am extremely grateful to be able to do that."[45]
Andrew and his daughter Eugenie riding in the carriage procession at Trooping the Colour, 16 June 2012
In May 2010, Ferguson was filmed by a News of the World reporter stating that Andrew had agreed that, if she were to receive £500,000, he would meet the donor and provide useful top-level business contacts. She was filmed receiving US$40,000 in cash as a down-payment. The newspaper reported that Andrew had no knowledge of the arrangement.[46] In July 2011, Ferguson said that her multi-million-pound debts had been cleared through the intervention of her former husband, whom she described as a "knight on a white charger".[47]
In 2011 Ferguson said that she had made a "gigantic error of judgement" in allowing Epstein to pay off a debt for her, and apologised for accepting money from him. She nevertheless continued to defend Andrew's former friendship with Epstein.[48][49] It later emerged that, following her public statement, she had sent an email to Epstein in which she referred to him as "a steadfast, generous and supreme friend".[50]
Post-divorce
In 1999, Andrew was briefly in a relationship with Lady Victoria Hervey, who has since made a number of controversial statements in his support.[51]
Residences
As Andrew and Ferguson shared custody of their two daughters, the family continued to live at Sunninghill Park, which had been built for the couple near Windsor Great Park in 1990, until Andrew moved to Royal Lodge in 2004. In 2007, Ferguson moved into Dolphin House in Englefield Green, less than a mile from Royal Lodge.[52] A fire at Dolphin House in 2008[52] led her to move into Royal Lodge, once again sharing a home with Andrew.[53] As of 2025, they continued to cohabit there.[54]
Andrew's lease of Royal Lodge was for 75 years, held from the Crown Estate, with a single £1 million premium and a commitment to spend £7.5 million on refurbishment.[55] In March 2023, it was reported that Andrew had been offered Frogmore Cottage after his nephew Prince Harry was asked to vacate the residence.[56] The offer came amid reports that Andrew could no longer afford the running costs of Royal Lodge as he was due to lose his annual grant.[57]
In October 2025, it was reported that Andrew paid a peppercorn rent the Royal Lodge lease in return for upfront payments totalling £8.5 million, and that the legal agreement entitled him and his family to live in the property until 2078.[58][59] Later that month, Buckingham Palace announced that formal notice had been served to surrender the lease, and Andrew would reportedly move to Marsh Farm on the Sandringham Estate,[60] a private estate owned personally by the King.[61][62] The Crown Estate later clarified that Andrew "will not be owed any compensation for early surrender of the lease ... once dilapidations are taken into account".[63][64]
Andrew is a keen skier, and in 2014 he bought a chalet in Verbier, Switzerland, for £13 million, jointly with his ex-wife.[65] In May 2020, it was reported that they were in a legal dispute over the mortgage.[66] To purchase the property, they had secured a loan of £13.25 million and were expected to pay £5 million in cash instalments which, with interest, totalled £6.8 million.[67] Despite claims that the Queen would assist with the payment, a spokesperson for Andrew confirmed that she "will not be stepping in to settle the debt".[68]
The Times reported in September 2021 that Andrew and Ferguson had reached a legal agreement with the chalet's previous owner and would sell the property.[69] The owner agreed to accept £3.4million–half of what she was owed–after being informed that that Andrew and Ferguson were experiencing financial difficulties.[67] Proceeds from the sale were reportedly intended to contribute to Andrew's legal expenses in relation to the civil lawsuit.[70]
In June 2022, Le Temps reported that the chalet had been frozen because of a £1.6million debt Andrew owed to unnamed individuals. Law professor Nicolas Jeandin told the newspaper "A sale is in principle impossible, except with the agreement of the creditor."[71][72]
Andrew is a keen golfer and has held a low single-figure handicap.[75] He served as captain of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews between 2003 and 2004–during the club's 250th anniversary season–was patron of several royal golf clubs, and had been elected an honorary member of many others. In 2004, he was criticised by Labour Co-op MP Ian Davidson, who, in a letter to the NAO, questioned Andrew's decision to fly to St Andrews on RAF aircraft for two golfing trips.[76]
Andrew resigned his honorary membership of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews after the Queen removed royal patronages at several golf clubs.[77][78] His honorary membership of the Royal Dornoch Golf Club was revoked the following month.[79]
Andrew was patron of the Middle East Association (MEA), the UK's premier organisation for promoting trade and good relations with the Middle East, North Africa, Turkey, and Iran.[80] After his role as Special Representative for International Trade and Investment ended, he continued to support UK enterprise without holding a formal position. Robert Jobson wrote that Andrew carried out this working effectively, nothing that "He is particularly passionate when dealing with young start-up entrepreneurs and bringing them together with successful businesses at networking and showcasing events. Andrew is direct and to the point, and his methods seem to work".[81]
He was also patron of Fight for Sight, a charity dedicated to research into the prevention and treatment of blindness and eye disease,[82] and was a member of the Scout Association.[83] Andrew toured Canada frequently to undertake duties related to his Canadian military role. Rick Peters, former commanding officer of the Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada, stated that Andrew was "very well informed on Canadian military methods".[84] He became patron of the charity Attend[85] in 2003 and served as a member of the International Advisory Board of the Royal United Services Institute.
On 3 September 2012, Andrew was among a team of 40 people who abseiled down The Shard, then the tallest building in Europe, to raise money for the educational charities the Outward Bound Trust and the Royal Marines Charitable Trust Fund.[86][87] He also supported organisations focused on science and technology, becoming patron of Catalyst Inc and TeenTech.[88][89][90] In 2014, Andrew visited Geneva, Switzerland, to promote British science at CERN's 60th anniversary celebrations.[91]
Andrew in his role as the UK's Special Representative for International Trade and Investment at the World Economic Forum on the Middle East, 2008
In 2013, it was announced that Andrew would become patron of London Metropolitan University[92] and the University of Huddersfield.[93][94] In July 2015, he was installed as Chancellor of the University of Huddersfield.[95] In recognition of his promotion of entrepreneurship, he was elected to an Honorary Fellowship at Hughes Hall, in the University of Cambridge on 1 May 2018.[96] On 19 November 2019, the Students' Union of the University of Huddersfield passed a motion to lobby Andrew to resign as its chancellor, while London Metropolitan University was also reviewing his position role as patron.[97] On 21 November, Andrew relinquished his role as Chancellor of the University of Huddersfield.[98]
In March 2019, Andrew took over the patronage of the Outward Bound Trust from his father, the Duke of Edinburgh, serving until his own resignation in November 2019.[99] Andrew had been chairman of the organisation's board of trustees since 1999.[100][101] In May 2019, it was announced that Andrew had succeeded Lord Carrington as patron of the Royal Fine Art Commission Trust.[102]
On 13 January 2022, it was announced that his royal patronages had been returned to the Queen to be redistributed among other members of the royal family.[103] In January 2023, it was reported that King Charles III had agreed that Andrew could pursue some business interests.[104]
In July 2025, the philanthropy adviser Giving Evidence published research examining the impact of Andrew's charity patronages on the incomes of the organisations he supported prior to his retirement from public duties. The study found that revenues at roughly half of the 35 registered charities in England for which Andrew had been the sole royal patron rose after his patronage ended, while revenues at the other half fell. Researchers then compared the 35 charities with others across the country and found "no material differences in revenue patterns when Andrew's patronages ceased". This and earlier studies supported the conclusion that having a royal patron did not significantly affect charities' incomes.[105]
While touring India as part of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in 2012,[106] Andrew became interested in the work of Women's Interlink Foundation (WIF), a charity that helps women acquire skills to earn an income. He and his family later initiated Key to Freedom, a project intended to "find a route to market for products made by WIF".[107][108]
In 2014, Andrew founded the Pitch@Palace initiative[109] to support entrepreneurs by amplifying and accelerating their business ideas. Entrepreneurs selected for Pitch@Palace Bootcamp were officially invited by Andrew[110] to attend St James's Palace to pitch their ideas and connect with potential investors, mentors, and business contacts.[111] In May 2018, he visited China and opened the Pitch@Palace China Bootcamp 2.0 at Peking University.[112] On 18 November 2019, accountancy firm KPMG announced it would not renew its sponsorship of Pitch@Palace,[113] and on 19 November Standard Chartered also withdrew its support.[114] In November 2025, Pitch@Palace Global entered the dissolution process, initiated by its director, following the winding-up of its UK arm in 2021.[115]
Andrew founded the Prince Andrew Charitable Trust which aimed to support young people in different areas such as education and training.[116] In May 2020, it was reported that trust was under investigation by the Charity Commission regarding regulatory concerns about £350,000 in payments to his former private secretary Amanda Thirsk.[117] He also established several awards, including the Inspiring Digital Enterprise Award (iDEA), a programme designed to develop digital and enterprise skills,[118][119] the Duke of York Award for Technical Education, presented to talented young people in technical fields,[120][121] and the Duke of York Young Entrepreneur Award, which recognised young entrepreneurial talent.[122]
Andrew was additionally involved with the private limited company the Duke of York's Community Initiative (known as the Yorkshire Foundation between 2005 and 2011) and with a separate charity of a similar name, both of which supported voluntary organisations in Yorkshire. The company and the charity were dissolved in 2023 and 2024, respectively.[123][124]
Trade and commercial activities
Special Representative for International Trade and Investment
Andrew did not receive a salary from the UK Trade & Investment for his role as Special Representative, but he travelled on expenses-paid delegations and was alleged to have occasionally used government-funded trips paid for personal leisure, earning him the nickname "Airmiles Andy" in the press.[128] On 8 March 2011, The Daily Telegraph reported: "In 2010, the Prince spent £620,000 as a trade envoy, including £154,000 on hotels, food and hospitality and £465,000 on travel."[130]
Alleged comments on corruption and Kazakhstan
As the United Kingdom's Special Trade Representative, Andrew travelled widely to promote British businesses. The United States diplomatic cables leak revealed that Tatiana Gfoeller, the United States Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan, had reported Andrew discussing bribery in Kyrgyzstan and the investigation into the Al-Yamamah arms deal. According to Gfoeller, he "was referencing an investigation, subsequently closed, into alleged kickbacks a senior Saudi royal had received in exchange for the multi-year, lucrative BAE Systems contract to provide equipment and training to Saudi security forces."[131] The dispatch continued: "His mother's subjects seated around the table roared their approval. He then went on to 'these (expletive) journalists, especially from the National Guardian[sic], who poke their noses everywhere' and (presumably) make it harder for British businessmen to do business. The crowd practically clapped!"[132]
In May 2008, Andrew attended a goose-hunt in Kazakhstan with President Nursultan Nazarbayev.[133] In 2010, it emerged that the president's billionaire son-in-law, Timur Kulibayev, had paid Andrew's representatives £15 million–£3 million above the asking price–via offshore companies, for Andrew's Surrey mansion, Sunninghill Park.[132] A BBC investigation later reported that Kulibayev had financed the purchase in part through a loan from Enviro Pacific Investments, a firm which Italian prosecutors concluded had received funds linked to a 2007 bribery scheme.[134] The BBC further reported that the final payments associated with the alleged scheme occurred only weeks before contracts were exchanged for Sunninghill Park, raising questions about whether Andrew may have inadvertently benefited from the proceeds of crime, and whether appropriate due-diligence checks had been carried out.[134] Kulibayev denied any involvement in bribery or corruption, has not been charged, and his lawyers stated that the loan had been obtained on commercial terms and later repaid with interest.[134] He frequently appeared in US diplomatic cables as one of the individuals who had accumulated significant wealth in gas-rich Kazakhstan.[132] It was later reported that Andrew's office had attempted to secure a crown estate property close to Kensington Palace for Kulibayev at the time.[135]
In May 2012, Swiss and Italian police investigating "a network of personal and business relationships" allegedly used for "international corruption" examined the activities of Enviro Pacific Investments, which charged "multi-million pound fees" to energy companies seeking to operate in Kazakhstan.[136] The trust is believed to have paid £6 million towards the purchase of Sunninghill, which now appears derelict.[136] A Palace spokesman responded: "This was a private sale between two trusts. There was never any impropriety on the part of The Duke of York".[136]
Libby Purves wrote in The Times in January 2015: "Prince Andrew dazzles easily when confronted with immense wealth and apparent power. He has fallen for 'friendships' with bad, corrupt and clever men, not only in the US but in Libya, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tunisia, wherever."[137]
In May 2016, a further controversy arose when the Daily Mail alleged that Andrew had brokered a deal to assist a Greek and Swiss consortium in securing a £385-million contract to build water and sewerage networks in two of Kazakhstan's largest cities while serving as trade envoy, and that he stood to gain a £4-million commission. The newspaper published an email from Andrew to Kazakh oligarch Kenges Rakishev–who had allegedly brokered the sale of Sunninghill Park–and reported that Rakishev had arranged meetings for the consortium. After initially stating that the email was a forgery, Buckingham Palace sought to block its publication as a privacy breach.[138] The Palace denied that Andrew had acted as a "fixer" calling the article "untrue, defamatory and a breach of the editor's code of conduct".[138]
Former Foreign Office minister, MP Chris Bryant commented: "When I was at the Foreign Office it was very difficult to see in whose interests he [Andrew] was acting. He doesn't exactly add lustre to the Royal diadem".[138]
Arms sales
In March 2011, Kaye Stearman of the Campaign Against the Arms Trade told Channel 4 News that the organisation viewed Andrew as part of a wider problem: "He is the front man for UKTI. Our concerns are not just Prince Andrew, it's the whole UKTI set up. They see arms as just another commodity but it has completely disproportionate resources. At the London office of UKTI the arms sector has more staff than all the others put together. We are concerned that Prince Andrew is used to sell arms, and where you sell arms it is likely to be to despotic regimes. He is the cheerleader in chief for the arms industry, shaking hands and paving the way for the salesmen."[139]
In January 2014, Andrew took part in a delegation to Bahrain, a close ally of the United Kingdom. Andrew Smith, a spokesman for CAAT, said: "We are calling on Prince Andrew and the UK government to stop selling arms to Bahrain. By endorsing the Bahraini dictatorship Prince Andrew is giving his implicit support to their oppressive practices. When our government sells arms it is giving moral and practical support to an illegitimate and authoritarian regime and directly supporting their systematic crackdown on opposition groups. (...) We shouldn't allow our international image to be used as a PR tool for the violent and oppressive dictatorship in Bahrain."[140] Smith also stated: "The prince has consistently used his position to promote arms sales and boost some of the most unpleasant governments in the world, his arms sales haven't just given military support to corrupt and repressive regimes. They've lent those regimes political and international legitimacy."[141]
Allegations of government coverup
Official documents relating to Andrew's business trips between 2001 and 2011 will not be released by the Foreign Office until 2065.[142] This delay has been described as part of an alleged government effort to prevent Andrew's activities from becoming public, even in cases where national security may have been at risk.[143]
Promotion of Banque Havilland
In November 2020, following reviews of emails, internal documents, and unreported regulatory filings, as well as interviews with former bank insiders, Bloomberg Businessweek reported that Andrew had used his royal status and his role as trade envoy to assist David Rowland and his private bank, Banque Havilland, in securing clients around the world.[144] The Rowland family are among Andrew's investment advisers,[145] and he was attended the bank's official opening ceremony in July 2009.[146] It has been alleged that Banque Havilland sought to service dictators and kleptocrats.[147]
In 2021, Bloomberg News reported that a firm connected to David Rowland had been paying off Andrew's debts.[148] In November 2017, Andrew borrowed £250,000 from Banque Havilland, adding to an existing £1.25million loan that had been "extended or increased 10 times" since 2015.[149] Documents indicated that although "credibility of the applicant" had been questioned, the loan was approved in an effort to "further business potential with the Royal Family".[149] Eleven days later, in December 2017, £1.5million was transferred from an account at Albany Reserves–controlled by the Rowland family–to Andrew's account at Banque Havilland, paying off the loan due in March 2018.[149]
In December 2024, it was reported that Andrew had invited Chris Yang, a Chinese businessman initially identified as "H6" in legal documents, to events at royal residences. Yang had been authorised by a royal aide, Dominic Hampshire, to act on Andrew's behalf when dealing with potential investors in China. Yang was barred from entering the United Kingdom in 2023 due to alleged involvement in "covert and deceptive activity" on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party. Andrew ceased all contact with Yang following government concerns.[150][151][152] According to a 2025 report by The Telegraph, UK intelligence agencies deemed Andrew a potential national‑security risk because of his repeated meetings and close relationship with Yang, with concerns dating back to 2021 that his vulnerability and access could be exploited.[153]
In 2025, it was reported that Andrew had met Cai Qi–who later became the first-ranked member of the Secretariat of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and de factochief of staff to Xi Jinping–in London in 2018 and in Beijing in 2018 and 2019..[154] Cai had been suspected of receiving sensitive information from British nationals Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry, though charges against them were dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service in 2025.[154] The London meeting formed part of a welcome event for a Beijing delegation attended by then-Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, Scottish former first minister Nicola Sturgeon, former Cabinet Office minister David Lidington, and London Mayor Sadiq Khan.[154] Andrew's subsequent meetings with Cai were connected to the expansion and launch of his Pitch@Palace business initiative in China.[154]
Finances
Andrew received a £249,000 annuity from Queen Elizabeth II, which was reduced by King Charles III in April 2023.[155][156] In the twelve-month period up to April 2004, he spent £325,000 on flights, and his trade missions as special representative for UKTI cost £75,000 in 2003.[76]The Sunday Times reported in July 2008 that, for "the Duke of York's public role... he last year received £436,000 to cover his expenses".[157] He also receives a Royal Navy pension of £20,000.[149]
In June 2019, Andrew arranged a private Buckingham Palace tour for Jay Bloom and Michael Evers, businessmen from the US cryptocurrency mining company Pegasus Group Holdings, which had agreed to pay his ex-wife up to £1.4 million for her role as a "brand ambassador".[158] Bloom and Evers were driven into the Palace in Andrew's car from their Knightsbridge hotel and later attended his Pitch@Palace event at St James's Palace before dining that evening with Andrew, Ferguson, and their daughter Beatrice.[158] Ferguson was promoting Pegasus's plan to use thousands of solar-powered generators to mine Bitcoin in Arizona, though the project collapsed after acquiring only 615 of the planned 16,000 units and generating just $33,779 (£25,000) in cryptocurrency.[158] Ferguson first met Bloom in Las Vegas in 2018, and he and Evers visited London frequently in 2019, meeting the York family on several occasions.[158] In October 2019, Ferguson signed a contract via Alphabet Capital, a British company owned by Adrian Gleave, through which she was paid more than £200,000 for Pegasus-related work.[158] Court documents showed that Andrew also received £60,500 traced to Gleave's businesses, though neither party explained the payments.[158]
Several months after Andrew's controversial 2019 Newsnight interview, his private office established the Urramoor Trust, which owned both Lincelles (established 2020)[159] and Urramoor Ltd (established 2013),[160] and was, according to The Times, set up to support his family. Lincelles was voluntarily wound up in 2022.[161] Andrew was described as a "settlor but not a beneficiary" and did not own either company, though Companies House listed him and his long-time private banker Harry Keogh[a] as persons with "significant control".[162]
In March 2022, it was reported that, on 15 November 2019, the wife of jailed former Turkish politician İlhan İşbilen had transferred £750,000 to Andrew in the belief that it would help her secure a passport.[163] He repaid the money 16 months later after being contacted by İşbilen's lawyers. The Telegraph reported that the payment had been described to the bankers "as a wedding gift" for his elder daughter, Beatrice, though court documents did not suggest that Beatrice was aware of the transaction.[164] İşbilen alleges that a further £350,000 was paid to Andrew through businessman Selman Turk, who she is suing for fraud. Turk had received the People's Choice Award for his business Heyman AI at a Pitch@Palace event held at St James's Palace days before the £750,000 transfer.[163][165] In October 2025, it was reported that in December 2019 Andrew received £60,500 from Adrian Gleave, whose company Alphabet Capital Limited had also funneled money from Nebahat İşbilen to Andrew and Ferguson.[166] Court documents indicated that Alphabet Capital had made–and might continue to make–substantial payments to Andrew, despite being listed as a dormant company with minimal turnover.[166] Gleave had links to SVS Securities, a firm shut down by regulators over pension mis-selling.[166]
Tarek Kaituni, a Libyan-born convicted gun smuggler, introduced Andrew to Selman Turk in May or June 2019 and met him on at least two occasions.[167] Kaituni, for whom Andrew had allegedly lobbied a British company, had reportedly given Beatrice an £18,000 gold and diamond necklace for her 21st birthday in 2009 and was invited to Princess Eugenie's wedding in 2018.[167] Andrew also received "half" of £100,000 that Turk claimed was a payment to businessman Adrian Gleave to fund a search for "finding yoghurt production facilities in America".[168]
In October 2025, The Guardian reported that Andrew was set to receive a one-off six-figure payment from King Charles III's private funds to help finance his move from Royal Lodge to a smaller property on the Sandringham Estate.[169] He would also receive an annual stipend worth several times his £20,000 naval pension.[169]
Andrew was a friend of Jeffrey Epstein, an American financier who pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting prostitution from a person under the age of 18. Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, and Harvey Weinstein were hosted by Andrew at Royal Lodge ahead of a masked ball at Windsor Castle for Beatrice's 18th-birthday celebrations in 2006, two months after a US arrest warrant had been issued for Epstein for the sexual assault of a minor.[170] Epstein was arrested in Florida eight days after the event, though Andrew denied having any knowledge of the warrant issued in the US.[170]BBC News reported in March 2011 that the friendship was producing "a steady stream of criticism", and there were calls for him to step down from his role as trade envoy.[171] Andrew was also criticised in the media after his former wife disclosed that he helped arrange for Epstein to pay off £15,000 of her debts.[172][173] In December 2010, Andrew was photographed walking with Epstein in Central Park during a visit to New York City.[174] In July 2011, his role as trade envoy was terminated amid escalating controversy over his associations, particularly with Epstein.[171][175]
On 30 December 2014, a court filing in Florida by the lawyers Bradley J. Edwards and Paul G. Cassell alleged that Andrew was among several prominent figures, including lawyer Alan Dershowitz and "a former prime minister",[176] who had participated in sexual activities with a minor later identified as Virginia Giuffre (then known by her maiden name, Virginia Roberts),[177] who was allegedly trafficked by Epstein.[178] An affidavit from Giuffre was included in an earlier lawsuit from 2008 accusing the US Justice Department of violating the Crime Victims' Rights Act during Epstein's first criminal case by not allowing several of his victims to challenge his plea deal; Andrew was otherwise not a party to the lawsuit.[179]
In January 2015, there was renewed media and public pressure for Buckingham Palace to explain Andrew's connection with Epstein.[180] The Palace stated that "any suggestion of impropriety with underage minors is categorically untrue", and later repeated the denial.[181][182] Requests from Giuffre's lawyers for a statement from Andrew about the allegations, under oath, went unanswered.[183][184]
The photograph of Andrew with Giuffre and Maxwell
Giuffre said that she had sex with Andrew on three occasions, including during a trip to London in 2001 when she was 17,[185] and later in New York and on Little Saint James in the US Virgin Islands during an orgy.[174][186] She alleged that Epstein paid her $15,000 after she had sex with Andrew in London.[185] Flight logs show that Andrew and Giuffre were in the locations where she alleged their meetings took place.[187][188] Andrew and Giuffre were also photographed together, with his arm around her waist and Maxwell in the background,[189] though Andrew's supporters have repeatedly claimed the photo is fake and edited.[190] Andrew's lawyers asked to examine the original to determine its authenticity, but it was reportedly lost.[191] Giuffre stated that she was pressured to have sex with Andrew and "wouldn't have dared object" as Epstein, through his contacts, could have her "killed or abducted".[137]
On 7 April 2015, Judge Kenneth Marra ruled that the "sex allegations made against Andrew in court papers filed in Florida must be struck from the public record".[192][193] Marra made no ruling on whether Giuffre's claims were true or false, specifically stating that she might later give evidence if the case comes to court.[194]
Juan "John" Alessi, Epstein's former butler, stated in a deposition he filed for Giuffre's 2016 defamation case against Maxwell that Andrew's previously unremarked visits to Epstein's house in Palm Beach were more frequent than previously had been known. He maintained that Andrew "spent weeks with us" and received "daily massages".[195]
In August 2019, court documents associated with the defamation case between Giuffre and Maxwell revealed that a second woman, Johanna Sjoberg, alleged that Andrew had placed his hand on her breast while posing for a photo with his Spitting Image puppet in Epstein's mansion.[196] Later that month, Andrew released a statement saying: "At no stage during the limited time I spent with [Epstein] did I see, witness or suspect any behaviour of the sort that subsequently led to his arrest and conviction", though he expressed regret for meeting Epstein in 2010 after Epstein had already pleaded guilty to sex offences.[197] At the end of August 2019, The New Republic published a September 2013 email exchange between John Brockman and Evgeny Morozov, in which Brockman described seeing a British man nicknamed "Andy" receive a foot massage from two Russian women at Epstein's New York residence during his last visit in 2010, and realised "that the recipient of Irina's foot massage was His Royal Highness, Prince Andrew, the Duke of York".[198]
In July 2020, Caroline Kaufman, an alleged victim of Epstein, said in a federal lawsuit that she had seen Andrew at Epstein's New York mansion in December 2010.[199] In November 2021, Epstein's pilot, Lawrence Visoski testified during Maxwell's trial that Andrew had flew in Epstein's private plane along with other prominent individuals, including Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, and John Glenn. Visoski stated that he had not observed any sexual activity or wrongdoing on the plane.[200] Andrew's name was also recorded on 12 May 2001 by Epstein's pilot David Rodgers in his logbook, and Rodger's testified that Andrew flew three times with Epstein and Giuffre in 2001.[201] The following month, a photograph of Epstein and Maxwell sitting at a cabin on the Queen's Balmoral estate around 1999, at Andrew's invitation, was shown to the jury to establish their status as partners.[202]
On 5 January 2022, Giuffre's former boyfriend, Anthony Figueroa, said on Good Morning Britain that Giuffre had told him Epstein would take her to meet Andrew, and alleged that the meeting took place in London.[203] In a court filing, Andrew's lawyers referred to a statement by Figueroa's sister, Crystal Figueroa, who alleged that, in her efforts to find victims for Epstein, Giuffre had asked her: "Do you know any girls who are kind of slutty?"[204] The same month, Carolyn Andriano–who, at 14, had been introduced by Giuffre to Maxwell and Epstein and later testified at Maxwell's trial–said in an interview with the Daily Mail that Giuffre, then 17, told her in 2001 that she had sex with Andrew. She stated: "And [Giuffre] said, 'I got to sleep with him'. She didn't seem upset about it. She thought it was pretty cool."[205]
In an ITV documentary, former royal protection officer, Paul Page–who was convicted and sentenced to six years in 2009 following a £3 million property investment scam–[206][207] recounted Maxwell's frequent visits to Buckingham Palace and suggested that the two might have had an intimate relationship,[208] while Lady Victoria Hervey said that Andrew was present at social occasions hosted by Maxwell.[209] His name and contact numbers for Buckingham Palace, Sunninghill Park, Wood Farm, and Balmoral also appeared in Maxwell and Epstein's 'Little Black Book', a list of contacts of the duo's powerful and well-connected friends.[209] In February 2022, The Daily Telegraph published a photograph of Andrew and Maxwell giving a tour of Buckingham Palace to Bill Clinton and Kevin Spacey, with a member of the tour party describing Maxwell as "the one who led us into Buckingham Palace".[210]
In October 2022, Maxwell was interviewed by a documentary filmmaker while serving her prison sentence. Asked about her relationship with Andrew, she said she felt "bad" for him but accepted that their "friendship could not survive my conviction. He is paying such a price for the association. I consider him a dear friend. I care about him."[211] She also stated that she now believed the photograph showing her with Andrew and Giuffre was not "a true image", adding that in a 2015 email to her lawyer she had been trying to confirm that she recognised her own house, but that the image could not be authentic as "the original has never been produced".[211] In another interview from prison, she said the photo was "a fake ... there's never been an original and further there is no photograph. I've only ever seen a photocopy of it."[212] Following these claims, The Mail on Sunday, which first published the photograph in 2011, was contacted by photographer Michael Thomas, who had taken 39 copies of the image, front and back. The reverse of the photo bore a time stamp showing it was developed on 13 March 2001–three days after Andrew allegedly engaged in sexual activity with Giuffre–and printed at a one‑hour photo lab at Walgreens in Florida, near Giuffre's former home.[213]
Giuffre said that on the first night she allegedly had sex with Andrew they got into the bath, where "he started licking my toes, between my toes, the arches of my feet" before moving to the bedroom and having sex.[214] She repeated this account in a 2019 BBC interview.[214] In her unpublished memoir, she described the bathroom as having "a beige marble tiled floor with a porcelain Victorian-style bathtub in the middle of the room."[214] In January 2023, Maxwell's brother Ian Maxwell disputed her account by releasing photos showing acquaintances sitting in the bathtub where the incident allegedly took place.[214] The photos had originally been reserved for Maxwell's legal team should Giuffre be asked to testify.[214] Ian Maxwell said the images "show conclusively that the bath is too small for any sort of sex frolicking. There is no 'Victorian bath', as Giuffre had claimed, which is proved both by the attached plan of the bathroom and the photos themselves."[214]
In January 2024, a series of documents related to Epstein were released by the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. These included a 2015 motion by two women describing Andrew having sexual relations with one of them–speculated to be Giuffre–at Maxwell's London flat, in New York, and on Epstein's private island on the US Virgin Islands "in an orgy with numerous other underaged girls".[215] In a separate document, Maxwell recalled Andrew visiting Epstein's island only once, adding that no girls or women were present other than staff.[215] She also stated that she had "no recollection" of whether she introduced Andrew to Giuffre.[216] Another unsealed document contained testimony from Juan Alessi, who worked at Epstein's Palm Beach residence, stating under oath that Andrew "spent weeks with us" and had "daily massages".[217] A further deposition referenced Johanna Sjoberg's statement that Andrew had groped her breast while she was sitting on his lap.[215][218] The Metropolitan Police said that they would not launch an investigation into the allegations but would assess "new and relevant" information should any come to light.[216]
In a 2025 interview with the US Department of Justice, Maxwell said she had not introduced Andrew to Epstein and described Giuffre's allegations as "rubbish".[219] She also said the photograph showing her with Andrew was "literally a fake", stating she was not present at the time of the alleged incident and questioning the physical plausibility of the account.[220] Her remarks were published in DOJ transcripts.[221] In September of the same year, newly released documents provided by the Epstein estate to the House Oversight Committee revealed that on 12 May 2000 Andrew travelled with Epstein and Maxwell on a private jet from Teterboro, New Jersey, to West Palm Beach, Florida.[222] He had officially flown on 11 May 2000 from London to New York to attend a reception for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children before returning to the UK on 15 May.[222] The documents also indicated that a client named Andrew appeared to have received massages in February and May 2000, paid for with $200 cheques.[222][223]
On 18 October 2025, it was alleged that Andrew had instructed one of his taxpayer-funded personal protection officers to investigate Giuffre–including obtaining her date of birth and US Social Security number–in an apparent attempt to "dig up dirt" on her shortly before the widely circulated photograph of them together came to light.[224] The Metropolitan Police said they were assessing the alleged misuse of police resources and the claim that Andrew "pressured" the officer to "dig up dirt" on Giuffre,[225][226] but later confirmed that no further action would be taken, stating that a further assessment had revealed no additional evidence of criminal acts or misconduct.[227]
Giuffre's posthumous memoir, Nobody's Girl, was published in October 2025 and described her alleged encounters with Andrew.[228] She claimed that, in addition to his attempts to avoid being served papers related to her civil case, Andrew's team had tried "to hire internet trolls to hassle me".[229] She stated that her sexual encounter with him on 10 March 2001 was the first of three occasions on which she was forced to have sex with him.[230]
In November 2025, the United States House Oversight Committee requested that Andrew testify to assist in identifying any of Epstein's co-conspirators and enablers, citing "well-documented allegations against you, along with your long-standing friendship with Mr. Epstein".[231] He did not respond by the deadline of 20 November.[232]
In November 2019, the BBC's Newsnight broadcast an interview between Andrew and presenter Emily Maitlis, in which he discussed his friendship with Epstein publicly for the first time.[233] Andrew said he met Epstein in 1999 through Maxwell, contradicting comments made by his private secretary in 2011 that the two met in "the early 1990s".[234] He also said he did not regret his friendship with Epstein, stating that "the people that I met and the opportunities that I was given to learn either by him or because of him were actually very useful".[235]
In the interview, Andrew denied having sex with Giuffre on 10 March 2001, as she alleged, saying he had been at home with his daughters after attending a party at a PizzaExpress branch in Woking with his elder daughter, Beatrice.[236][237] He also said that Giuffre's claims about dancing with him at Tramp while he was sweaty were false, as he had temporarily lost the ability to sweat following an "adrenaline overdose" during the Falklands War.[238][239] Physicians consulted by The Times noted that an adrenaline overdose typically causes excessive sweating in humans.[240] Andrew also said that he does not drink,[241] despite Giuffre's account of him providing alcohol for them both.[242] Other accounts have supported his statement that he does not drink.[243]
Andrew said he stayed at Epstein's mansion for three days in 2010, after Epstein's conviction for sex offences against a minor, describing it as "a convenient place to stay". He said he met Epstein solely to end their association.[244] He also said he would be willing to testify under oath regarding his relationship with Epstein.[235] Emails published in a 2023 civil case showed Andrew, Epstein, and Jes Staley exchanging messages, suggesting Andrew was in contact with Epstein on several occasions in 2010.[245] Further emails from another civil case showed that in February 2011 Epstein was in contact with a "member of the British Royal Family", believed to be Andrew.[246] In October 2025, The Mail on Sunday and The Sun on Sunday published an email from Andrew to Epstein, sent in February 2011 shortly after the photograph of Andrew with Giuffre became public, in which Andrew wrote: "We are in this together and will have to rise above it. Otherwise keep in close touch and we'll play some more soon!!!!"[247] In November 2025, the United States House Oversight Committee released further emails showing Andrew had contacted both Epstein and Maxwell in March 2011, telling Maxwell: "I can't take any more of this" following allegations published in The Mail on Sunday.[248] In another email, Andrew wrote: "Please make sure that every statement or legal letter states clearly that I am NOT involved and that I knew and know NOTHING about any of these allegations."[248] Epstein also emailed a journalist asking them to investigate "Andrew's accuser", and wrote in another message about Giuffre: "Yes she was on my plane, and yes she had her picture taken with Andrew, as many of my employees have."[248]
The interview was believed by Maitlis and the Newsnight team to have been approved by the Queen,[249] though "palace insiders" quoted by The Sunday Telegraph disputed this.[250] One of Andrew's official advisors resigned shortly before the interview aired.[251] Although Andrew was reportedly pleased with the outcome–giving Maitlis and the Newsnight team a tour of Buckingham Palace[252]–the interview received overwhelmingly negative reactions from the media and the public. It was described as a "car crash", "nuclear explosion level bad",[253][254] and the worst public-relations crisis for the royal family since the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. Commentators and those with ties to Buckingham Palace said the interview, its fallout, and the abrupt suspension of Andrew's royal duties were unprecedented.[255]
In August 2021, Giuffre sued Andrew in the federal District Court for the Southern District of New York, accusing him of "sexual assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress". The lawsuit was filed under New York's Child Victims Act, which extended the statute of limitations where the plaintiff had been under 18 at the time–17 in Giuffre's case.[256] On 29 October 2021, Andrew's lawyers filed a response stating that he "unequivocally denies Giuffre's false allegations".[257][258] On 12 January 2022, Judge Kaplan rejected Andrew's attempts to dismiss the case, allowing the lawsuit to proceed.[259][260] In February, the case was settled out of court, with Andrew making a donation to Giuffre's charity for victims of abuse, without any admission of liability.[261] The amount had not been disclosed as of 2025[update], but was widely reported to have been £12 million.[262] Criminal proceedings in the United States over Giuffre's claims remained possible.[263]
Repercussions
On 20 November 2019, Buckingham Palace announced that Andrew was suspending his public duties "for the foreseeable future". The decision, made with the Queen's consent, was accompanied by an insistence that Andrew sympathise with Epstein's victims.[264] Other working royals took over his commitments in the short term.[265] On 24 November, the palace confirmed that Andrew would step down from all 230 of his patronages, though he expressed a wish to have some form of public role in the future.[266]
On 16 January 2020, it was reported that the Home Office was recommending "a major downgrade of security" for Andrew, which would end his "his round-the-clock armed police protection".[267] On 28 January 2020, US lawyer Geoffrey Berman stated that Andrew had provided "zero co-operation" with federal prosecutors and the Federal Bureau of Investigation regarding ongoing investigations, despite his Newsnight claim that he was willing to assist authorities.[268] Sources close to Andrew said he "hasn't been approached" by US investigators,[269] and his legal team said he had offered to be a witness "on at least three occasions" but had been refused by the Department of Justice.[270] US authorities denied this, saying they had not been approached and accusing Andrew of attempting "to falsely portray himself to the public as eager and willing to cooperate".[271]Spencer Kuvin, who represented nine of Epstein's victims, said Andrew could be arrested if he returned to the United States.[272]
In March 2020, Andrew hired Mark Gallagher, a crisis-management expert who had assisted high-profile clients falsely accused during Operation Midland.[273] In April 2020, it was reported that the Duke of York Young Champions Trophy would no longer be played after all activities of the Prince Andrew Charitable Trust were halted.[274] In May 2020, it was announced that Andrew would permanently resign from all public roles due to his ties to Epstein.[275]
In June 2020, it became known that Andrew was a person of interest in a US criminal investigation, and that US prosecutors had filed a mutual legal assistance request with British authorities seeking to question him.[276][277][278] Following Maxwell's arrest in July 2020, Andrew cancelled a planned trip to Spain, reportedly due to fears he might be arrested and extradited to the United States.[279] In the 2019 Newsnight interview, Andrew said his association with Epstein stemmed from his long‑standing friendship with Maxwell, who was later convicted of colluding in Epstein's sexual abuse.[280]
At least two trespassing incidents at his Windsor residence were reported in early 2021. In December, he was verbally abused by a woman as he was driving.[281]
2022–2024
In January 2022, Andrew's social-media accounts were deleted, his page on the royal family's website was rewritten in the past tense, and his military affiliations and patronages were removed to emphasise his withdrawal from public life.[282] He also stopped using the style His Royal Highness (HRH), although it was not formally removed.[103] In the same month, York Racecourse announced that it would rename the Duke of York Stakes,[283] and Prince Andrew High School in Nova Scotia, which had stated two years earlier that it was considering a name change,[284] confirmed that it would adopt a new name for the next academic year.[285] In February 2022, Belfast City Council and the Northern Ireland Assembly decided not to fly the union flag for Andrew's birthday.[286] That month, the Mid and East Antrim Borough Council announced that it would debate a motion in June 2022 to rename Prince Andrew Way in Carrickfergus.[287] On 27 April 2022, York City Council unanimously voted to remove Andrew's Freedom of the City,[288] with Rachael Maskell, Labour MP for York Central, noting that he was the "first to ever have their freedom removed".[289] In June 2022, Maskell introduced a 'Removal of Titles' private members bill in the House of Commons,[290] which would have enabled the monarch or a parliamentary committee to strip aristocratic titles from individuals deemed unworthy.[291][290]
In March 2022, Andrew made his first official appearance in months, helping the Queen walk into Westminster Abbey for a memorial service for his father, the Duke of Edinburgh.[292] Commentators offered mixed reactions, with some arguing that his presence sent the wrong message to victims of sexual abuse "about how powerful men are able to absolve themselves from their conduct" while others said his attendance was as "a son, in memory of his father".[293]
In June 2022, Andrew took part in the private elements of the Garter Day ceremony, including lunch and the investiture of new members, but was excluded from the public procession amid reports that his brother Charles and nephew William that intervened to prevent him appearing in view of the public.[294]
Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on 8 September 2022, Andrew appeared in civilian clothing at various ceremonial events.[295] As he walked behind his mother's coffin during a funeral procession in Edinburgh on 12 September, a 22-year-old man shouted "Andrew, you're a sick old man"; the heckler was arrested and charged with breach of the peace,[296] though the procurator fiscal later dropped the charges after an unspecified alternative to prosecution was agreed.[297]
In October 2022, it was reported that Andrew no longer received government funding.[299] In November 2022, it was reported that he was set to lose his police protection, as he was no longer expected to undertake public duties in line with King Charles's wishes.[300] In December 2022, The Telegraph reported that Andrew had written to the Home Office and the Metropolitan Police to complain about the situation.[301] His armed personal protection officers were expected to be replaced by private security guards, likely to be funded by Charles, at an estimated cost of up to £3 million per year.[301] In January 2023, it was reported that Andrew could no longer use his suite of rooms at Buckingham Palace.[302] In August 2024, The Telegraph reported that King Charles would withdraw funding for Andrew's security by the end of October, requiring him to pay for future security operations at Royal Lodge.[303]
On 2 November 2025, Defence Secretary John Healey confirmed that Andrew's honorary rank of vice-admiral–retained after he relinquished his other military titles in 2022–would be removed following direction from Charles III,[304][305] a process finalised by 13 December.[306] He continues to hold the South Atlantic Medal with rosette, awarded to all who served in the Falklands War.[307] On 3 November, letters patent were issued removing Andrew's style of "Royal Highness" and the title "prince"; without these honorifics, it was agreed that he would use the family surname Mountbatten-Windsor.[308] His appointments to the Royal Victorian Order and Order of the Garter were also rescinded,[309] and his banner removed from St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, the chapel of the Order of the Garter.[310] Later that month, Andrew's life membership of the Savage Club was withdrawn,[311] commemorative plaques bearing his name were removed from several locations in the Falkland Islands,[312] and Mid and East Antrim Council agreed to rename Prince Andrew Way in Carrickfergus.[313] On 19 November, Metropolitan Police firearms-licensing officers requested that Andrew voluntarily surrender his firearms and shotgun certificate, which he did. No reason for the surrender was given.[314]
Allegations regarding behaviour
Racist language
Rohan Silva, a former Downing Street aide, claimed that, when they met in 2012, Andrew had commented, "Well, if you'll pardon the expression, that really is the nigger in the woodpile."[315] The former home secretary Jacqui Smith also claimed that he made a racist comment about Arabs during a state dinner for the Saudi royal family in 2007.[316][317] Buckingham Palace denied that Andrew had used racist language on either occasion.[318]
Treatment of others
During his four-day tour of Southern California in 1984, Andrew squirted paint at American and British journalists and photographers who were reporting on the visit, after which he told Los Angeles county supervisor Kenneth Hahn, "I enjoyed that."[319] The incident damaged reporters' clothing and equipment, and the Los Angeles Herald Examiner submitted a $1,200 bill to the British consulate seeking compensation.[319]
The Guardian wrote in 2022 that "his brusque manner with servants is well-documented. A senior footman once told a reporter who worked undercover at Buckingham Palace that on waking Andrew "the response can easily be 'fuck off' as 'good morning'".[320] Former royal protection officer Paul Page said in an ITV documentary that Andrew kept a collection of "50 or 60 stuffed toys" and would "shout and scream and become verbally abusive" if they "weren't put back in the right order by the maids".[321] Page later stated in the documentary Prince Andrew: Banished that different women visited Andrew daily, and that when one was denied entry security, Andrew allegedly called an officer a "fat, lardy cunt" over the phone. Page, who was later jailed for fraud in a property scheme, said of Andrew: "He's a bully."[322]
Andrew's former maid, Charlotte Briggs, also recalled arranging the teddy bears on his bed and told The Sun that when she was bitten by his Norfolk Terrier in 1996 he laughed and "wasn't bothered".[323][324] She said she had been reduced to tears after being reprimanded for not properly closing the heavy curtains in his office, adding that his behaviour contrasted with that of his brothers Charles and Edward, who "weren't anything like him" and his father Philip, whom she described as "so nice and gentlemanly".[323]
Emma Gruenbaum, a massage therapist, told The Sun that Andrew regularly overstepped boundaries, making sexual comments during appointments. She said he talked continually about sex during their first session and asked about when she had last had sex. Gruenbaum said Andrew arranged regular massages for around two months, and she believed the requests stopped when he realised he would not get more.[325]
As a son of the reigning monarch, he was styled at birth as "His Royal Highness The Prince Andrew".[328] On 23 July 1986, the day of his wedding, he was created Duke of York, Earl of Inverness, and Baron Killyleagh, and assumed the style "His Royal Highness The Duke of York". He was occasionally known as Earl of Inverness in Scotland and Baron Killyleagh in Northern Ireland.[328][329][330]
In 2019, in light of Andrew's friendship with the convicted sex offender Epstein, residents of Inverness began a campaign to strip him of his earldom, saying that "it is inappropriate that Prince Andrew is associated with our beautiful city".[331] In 2022, a renewed petition was launched in Inverness, and the residents of Killyleagh expressed the view that he should also lose his barony.[332][333]Rachael Maskell, the Labour Co-op MP for York Central, said she would seek ways to make Andrew give up his dukedom if he did not do so voluntarily; the City of York Council voted unanimously to remove his honorary freedom of the city, and several York councillors called for him to lose the title Duke of York.[334][335][336]
In January 2022, Andrew ceased using the style "Royal Highness" in a public capacity, though he remained permitted to use it privately.[103][337][104]
On 30 October, Buckingham Palace announced that Charles III had begun a "formal process" to remove his brother's style, titles, and honours.[61] Andrew's name was removed from the Roll of the Peerage the same day.[342][308] Although this did not revoke his peerages,[343] it meant he was no longer entitled to any place in the orders of precedence in the United Kingdom derived from them, and ceased to be addressed or referred to by any title derived from his peerages in official documents.[344] His profile was taken down from the royal website the following day.[345]Letters patent were issued on 3 November removing the style "Royal Highness" and the title "prince" from Andrew,[308] and on 1 December a notice, backdated to 30 October, was published in The London Gazette stating that his appointments to the Order of the Garter and Royal Victorian Order had been annulled.[309] He will use the surname "Mountbatten-Windsor", in accordance with the 1960 Privy Council declaration on the family surname by Queen Elizabeth II.[346] On 13 December 2025, the Ministry of Defence announced that the Defence Council of the United Kingdom had removed Andrew's honorary rank of vice-admiral, whereupon he reverted to the rank of Commander (retired).[306]
1984–1992: Lieutenant, Pilot, 815 NAS on HMSBrazen; Helicopter Warfare Instructor, 702 NAS at RNAS Culdrose; Flight Commander, 829 NAS on HMSCampbeltown
Andrew's election to the Royal Society in 2013 prompted criticism from various British scientists due to his lack of scientific background, with some stating he had only a secondary school level of education.[362] In an op-ed in The Independent, the pharmacologist and Fellow of the Royal Society David Colquhoun wrote, in references to Andrew's qualifications, that "if I wanted a tip for the winner of the 14.30 at Newmarket, I'd ask a royal. For most other questions, I wouldn't."[362][363]
The coronet of a son of the sovereign proper, thereon a lion statant guardant or crowned of the same coronet charged with a label as in the arms.
Escutcheon
Quarterly, 1st and 4th gules three lions passant guardant in pale or, 2nd or a lion rampant gules within a double tressure flory counterflory gules, 3rd azure a harp or stringed argent
Supporters
Dexter a lion rampant guardant or imperially crowned proper, sinister a unicorn argent, armed, crined and unguled or, gorged with a coronet or composed of crosses patée and fleurs de lis a chain affixed thereto passing between the forelegs and reflexed over the back also or.
Other elements
The whole differenced by a label of three points argent, the central point charged with an anchor azure.
Banner
The Royal Standard of the United Kingdom, labelled for difference as in his arms. as used in Scotland as used in Canada. Since 2014, Andrew has had a personal heraldic flag for use in Canada. It is the coat of arms of Canada in banner form defaced with a blue roundel surrounded by a wreath of gold maple leaves, within which is a depiction of an "A" surmounted by a coronet. Above the roundel is a white label of three points, the centre one charged with an anchor.[375][376]
Andrew was portrayed by Tom Byrne in the fourth season, and by James Murray in the final two seasons, of Netflix's The Crown.[379][380]
References
Footnotes
↑Keogh was accused of inappropriately touching a female employee in 2015 in his previous job at Coutts, an allegation which he denied.[162] It resulted in an internal investigation that led to him quitting under pressure and later suing for unfair dismissal.[162]
↑"Queen Elizabeth II holding an infant Prince Andrew". Royal Collection Trust. Retrieved 17 December 2021. The Queen's third child, Prince Andrew, was born on 19 February 1960 at Buckingham Palace, and was christened on 8 April.
↑Burnet, Alastair (1986). The ITN Book of the Royal Wedding. London, England: Michael O'Mara Books. p.38. The actress Miss Koo Stark was a regular girlfriend of Prince Andrew for several years.
↑McNamara, Kim (2015). Paparazzi: Media Practices and Celebrity Culture. Cambridge, England: Polity. p.29. ISBN978-0745651743.
↑Harris, Paul (26 October 2002). "Fergie: How food became my only friend". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 November 2020. The ex-wife of Prince Andrew described how she struggled against obesity for most of her life and was devastated when tabloids dubbed her 'Duchess of Pork' and 'Fat Fergie'.
↑Foggo, Daniel; Swinford, Steven; Mikhailova, Anna (27 July 2008). "Prince Andrew, his £15m home and the Kazakhstan connection". The Times. London. Archived from the original on 4 September 2008. On one of his most recent visits, in May, he [Prince Andrew] is understood to have spent a weekend on a goose-shooting excursion with Nursultan Nazarbayev, the president of Kazakhstan. ... Timur Kulibayev, 41, is a billionaire oil and gas tycoon who is known to Andrew, not least through their attendance at hunting parties thrown by Nazarbayev. ... Kulibayev has also been busy inviting VIPs, reportedly including the prince, to regular hunting meets hosted by the Kazakh president.
↑Sherwell, Philip. "Prince Andrew sex abuse allegation thrown out by judge". UK Daily Telegraph – 7 April 2015. Archived from the original on 10 January 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2015. A US judge has ruled that sex allegations made against Prince Andrew in court papers filed in Florida must be struck from the public record.
↑Torrance, David (1 December 2025). "The removal of titles and honours". House of Commons Library. Retrieved 3 December 2025. On 4 November 2025, Nick Thomas-Symonds (Minister for the Cabinet Office) stated in response to a parliamentary question that: "An Act of Parliament is required to remove a peerage once conferred".
↑Jackson, Michael (Summer 2007). "Honours of the Crown"(PDF). Canadian Monarchist News (26). Monarchist League of Canada: 12. Archived from the original(PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
↑"The Prince Andrew, Duke of York". Public Register of Arms, Flags and Badges. Office of the Governor General of Canada: Canadian Heraldic Authority. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
1 Not a British prince by birth, but created Prince Consort. 2 Not a British prince by birth, but created a Prince of the United Kingdom. Princes whose titles were removed and eligible people who do not use the title are shown in italics.
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