Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been served up a fresh dose of humiliation, capping off what his beloved mother Queen Elizabeth II may have called an annus horribilis, but others might say was a long awaited comeuppance.
This year the disgraced brother of King Charles, who was a close friend of Jeffrey Epstein and features in the notorious Epstein files, was stripped of all his royal titles and honours over his links to the billionaire paedophile.
In late October, King Charles censured his younger brother, taking away his “prince” title and ordering him and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson out of the luxurious royal residence Royal Lodge.
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Now, after a visit to the Lodge by specialist police he has had his gun licence revoked.
According to The Sun, the keen hunter who is a regular at posh shooting parties agreed to give up his licence.
It means he will now only be able to use or transport his guns if he is accompanied.
“He will be under strict supervision. It is a real blow,” a source told the outlet.
It is understood the former prince did not speak to officers directly when they visited his home, instead sending his valet.
In the UK, gun licences are reviewed regularly and can be revoked if there are public safety fear or if there is a change of circumstances.
“On Wednesday November 19, firearms licensing officers attended an address in Windsor to request that a man in his 60s voluntarily surrender his firearms and shotgun certificate,” a Metropolitan Police spokesperson confirmed to The Sun.
“The certificate was surrendered, and we will be not be commenting any further at this stage.”
The move on the gun licence came after Met Police probed claims Mr Mountbatten-Windsor had asked a police protection officer to gather information on Virginia Giuffre, an Epstein victim who had accused him of sex abuse. A claim he has always denied.
The police probe found no “additional evidence of criminal acts or misconduct”.
A year of shame
Mr Mountbatten-Windsor has been under enormous pressure in 2025, aside from the King’s censure, he is also being sought for him to give evidence to a US congressional committee investigating Epstein.
The former prince has so far ignored a request from members of the House Oversight Committee for a “transcribed interview” about his “long-standing friendship” with Epstein.
He was also last week, again featured in a trove of photos released as part of the Epstein files. One of those photos, a black and white image, showed the former royal laying across the laps of unidentified women as a smirking convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell looks on from above.
It is believed the photo was taken in the saloon room at Sandringham, a royal estate belonging to the King and Queen located in Norfolk.
Where does the phrase annus horribilis come from?
The Latin phrase “annus horribilis”, which translates to “horrible year”, was made famous in a speech by the Queen in late 1992, a year marked by royal scandals and disasters, including then Prince Andrew’s separation from his wife Sarah Ferguson, the divorce of Princess Anne from Captain Mark Phillips and the publication of a book exposing the unhappy marriage then Prince Charles and his wife Diana, the Princess of Wales.
There was also a massive fire at Windsor Castle that caused significant damage.
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source thenightly.com.au ’
