{"id":2137351,"date":"2025-11-05T19:00:11","date_gmt":"2025-11-05T19:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2137351"},"modified":"2025-11-05T19:00:11","modified_gmt":"2025-11-05T19:00:11","slug":"andrew-allowed-to-keep-falklands-medal-despite-losing-royal-and-military-titles-andrew-mountbatten-windsor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/andrew-allowed-to-keep-falklands-medal-despite-losing-royal-and-military-titles-andrew-mountbatten-windsor\/","title":{"rendered":"Andrew allowed to keep Falklands medal despite losing royal and military titles | Andrew Mountbatten Windsor"},"content":{"rendered":"

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He has lost his princehood, dukedom, Order of the Garter knighthood and military titles,<\/a> but the former Duke of York, now Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, can at least keep his campaign medal awarded for active service during the 1982 Falklands conflict.<\/p>\n

The defence secretary, John Healey, had already confirmed Mountbatten Windsor would be stripped of his last remaining title, the honorary rank of vice-admiral<\/a>, which he was given on his 55th birthday in 2015 and retained even after he lost other military positions in 2022<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Asked whether Mountbatten Windsor could lose his military medals as well, Healey said they were \u201cmedals for his service\u201d, adding: \u201cJust as with his vice-admiral rank and title, we would be guided by the decisions the king makes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Buckingham Palace has now confirmed that King Charles has agreed to his brother retaining the South Atlantic medal, as operational medals are not honours.<\/p>\n

The former prince served in the Royal Navy<\/a> for 22 years. During the military conflict with Argentina over the Falkland Islands he was a Sea King helicopter co-pilot with one of his tasks being to act as a decoy for Argentina\u2019s Exocet missiles.<\/p>\n

He returned from the conflict a \u201chero\u201d and was famously greeted at the end the gangplank in Portsmouth by his mother, Elizabeth II, who handed him a red rose, which he put between his teeth. He was awarded the South Atlantic Medal, known as the Falklands Medal, with an additional rosette for his actions.<\/p>\n

<\/svg><\/span>The then prince returns from the Falklands and is given a rose by his mother, the late Queen.<\/span> Photograph: Dave Caulkin\/AP<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Falklands veterans have said it would be \u201cmorally indefensible\u201d for a medal earned through active service to be taken away.<\/p>\n

Simon Weston, 64, who was severely burned when his troop transport RFA Sir Galahad was attacked during the conflict, told the Telegraph:<\/a> \u201cHe has lost all other aspects of dignity, respect and honour he was ever once shown. But the one thing you cannot strip away from the man, no matter how vindictive, vicious or virtue-signalling you want to be is that moment in his life where he was dignified, honourable and courageous.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/svg><\/span>Simon Weston, a veteran of the Falklands conflict.<\/span> Photograph: Ken McKay\/ITV\/Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Another senior defence source who served in the Falklands told the newspaper<\/a> that to strip Mountbatten Windsor of his campaign medal would be an \u201cextraordinary\u201d move. \u201cInstinctively, if one does something brave it seems extraordinary to then go and say someone hasn\u2019t done something brave,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n

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