King Charles has stripped Andrew of his dukedom and military titles following his association with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, amid calls for him to give evidence to a US Congressional committee
Donald Trump has expressed his sympathy for the Royal family amidst the ongoing controversy surrounding Andrew Mountbatten Windsor’s ties with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
King Charles has started the process of removing all royal titles from his disgraced brother – including ‘prince’ – while booting him out of his Royal Lodge mansion.
Andrew’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein has put the royals under huge pressure, as have allegations by Virginia Giuffre that the ex-duke had sex with her three times when she was just 17. He continues to deny all of the allegations.
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Speaking to journalists aboard Air Force One late on Sunday, the former US president was asked about the King’s decision to strip his brother of his peerages and the title of prince. Trump said: “It’s a terrible thing that’s happened to the (royal) family. That’s been a tragic situation. It’s too bad. I feel badly for the family.”
Earlier on Sunday, Defence Secretary John Healey confirmed Andrew will be stripped of his honorary rank of vice-admiral, which he was awarded on his 55th birthday in 2015. The rank is his last remaining honorary military title since he handed back the others in 2022 over the Epstein scandal.
The Defence Secretary would not comment on whether Andrew would be able to keep his medals, including the campaign medal he received for his service in the Falklands War, but said the Ministry of Defence would be “guided by the decisions the King makes”.
Ministry of Defence sources said they were examining whether Andrew would revert to the rank of commander, which he achieved during his active military service, or if he would lose his naval rank completely.
Andrew’s Duke of York title has already been removed from the Roll of Peerages. Andrew has been associated with the Royal Navy since 1979, when he began officer training at Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth.
He later worked as a helicopter pilot and formed part of the military operation to reclaim the Falklands after Argentina’s invasion in 1982. His active service in the Royal Navy concluded in 2001 holding the rank of commander, though he subsequently received ceremonial promotions, rising to vice-admiral by 2015.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.mirror.co.uk ’
