(Picture: Shutterstock / David Herraez Calzada)
Prince Andrew has seen his coat of arms torn down from Windsor Castle amid fresh allegations about his relationships with billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and sex abuse victim Virginia Giuffre.
His coat of arms features the three lions of England and an anchor for his naval career but it can no longer be seen next to Prince William’s banner in St George’s Chapel.
The unceremonious removal of a coat of arms is usually reserved for serious cases of high treason or taking up arms against the Crown.
A palace insider told The Sun: ‘It was removed at the most convenient moment.’
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It came as the former Duke of York believes the King is trying to force him out of his Windsor property so he can gift it to his wife Queen Camilla, The Telegraph reports.
Prince Andrew has so far dug his heels in to stay in the property close to Windsor Castle where he lives rent-free, despite coming under pressure from MPs to downsize.
It also emerged the disgraced prince’s lease agreement was redacted to conceal his ‘peppercorn rent’ he has had in place for two decades.
The uncensored version says Andrew is obligated ‘to pay the rent if demanded’.
But the version sent to the Land Registry and a matter of public record states an obligation ‘to pay the rent’, with the words ‘if demanded’ removed.
Andrew believes he has a ‘cast-iron’ lease on his 30-room property, so tight even his older brother the King can’t evict him.
Research from The Spectator suggests he should have paid more than £16million in rent in that period.
The Spectator asked a Windsor-based estate agent, Marshalls, how much rent would cost for the Royal Lodge.
They said: ‘We would feel confident of achieving £67,000pcm for this property including the various cottages in the grounds, meaning Andrew should be paying £804,000 a year in rent.
‘In the marketing we’d emphasise the local benefits such as the two Windsor mainline stations, the motorway network and Heathrow, the off street parking as well as some of the interesting neighbours.’
It came after the former Duke of York, relinquished his official titles amid the ongoing allegations about paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and sex abuse victim Virginia Giuffre.
The prince is alleged to have met escorts and ‘high society’ Thai ladies drawn to his royal status, including while he was in the country as a roving UK ambassador of trade.
Polling by Ipsos conducted earlier this week found 88% believe it was right for Andrew to give up his titles.
Prince Andrew announced on Saturday that he would be giving up his royal titles following ‘discussion with the King’.
The move comes amid the continued allegations and testimony from Giuffre, who died by suicide in April, and others about Epstein’s sex trafficking ring.
Her book Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice details alleged sexual encounters with the royal, who she said ‘believed having sex with me was his birthright’.
MORE: Prince Andrew should be stripped of his titles, say 1 in 2 Brits
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