Defence chiefs are facing growing pressure to expedite the removal of the Duke of York's final honorary title, a process that remains stalled despite a direct request from the King.
The Stalled Request
It has emerged that a move by King Charles to have his brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, stripped of his last remaining title – vice-admiral of the Royal Navy – has not yet been actioned. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has confirmed the process is 'ongoing', but has not provided a clear reason for the delay or indicated what stage the procedure has reached.
A spokesperson for the MOD stated: "Defence continues to act in line with His Majesty’s intent regarding the process to remove the style, titles and honours of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor."
Background of a Fall from Grace
Andrew served for 22 years in the Royal Navy, including as a helicopter pilot during the Falklands War. He was awarded the honorary rank of vice-admiral in February 2015 to mark his 55th birthday, an appointment approved by the late Queen. He was due to be promoted to admiral in 2020 for his 60th birthday, but this was cancelled following his disastrous BBC Newsnight interview, where he discussed his association with the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
At the end of October, the King took the significant step of officially stripping Andrew of his HRH style, prince title, and dukedom from the Roll of the Peerage, citing his brother's "serious lapses" of judgement. This action came after the publication of a memoir by his accuser, Virginia Giuffre, and the release of documents from Epstein's estate, which revealed an email from Andrew to Epstein in 2011 stating "we’re in this together".
Mounting Pressure and Further Scandals
Following the King's move, Defence Secretary John Healy publicly stated the government would remove Andrew's vice-admiral title, confirming it was a move the King had indicated should be taken. However, the lack of progress has been called "extraordinary" by Admiral Lord West, the former First Sea Lord.
He told the Sunday Times: "I cannot see why it is that difficult to remove it... We recently swiftly removed the first sea lord from his position and he had the rank of admiral, so it cannot be that difficult. They should just get on with it." He was referring to Sir Ben Key, a former admiral who lost his rank in July after an affair with a junior colleague.
The delay comes as Andrew faces other significant challenges. He is scheduled to spend his final Christmas at the Royal Lodge mansion in Windsor before being moved to a smaller property on the King's Sandringham estate in the New Year. Furthermore, he has been warned he will receive no special protection when the US government releases further explosive documents from the Epstein files in the coming weeks, with insiders stating the former prince "will not be spared".
