Former prince Andrew still has a major royal perk despite being 'shunned' by the Royal Family.
After Buckingham Palace announced the 65-year-old would be stripped of his royal titles and be moving out of his royal home, a new detail has emerged which has shocked many.
While Andrew has 'vigorously' denied any wrongdoing amid the Jeffrey Epstein controversy, he relinquished his titles earlier this month based on what he said were 'continued accusations' that 'distract me from the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family'.
Yesterday (October 30), it was announced that a 'formal process' had been initiated to strip Andrew of his Duke of York and HRH titles. He will now be simply known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.
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King Charles also made the decree that he would have to vacate his home at Royal Lodge ‘as soon as is practicable’, where he has lived for over 20 years.
Once Andrew has moved out, he should reside in a smaller residence instead - though it's understood that the King will privately fund his new accommodation.
However, while he has essentially been cast out of the family, there is one thing that still ties him to the royal line.
His succession.
Though it was confirmed that Andrew would have no working role, no title, and no home in the Royal Family, he does still keep his position in the line of succession.
This was noted when Royal.UK did not remove Andrew from the official line of succession, which sees him sit at number eight.
The line of succession
As of right now, the line of succession to the British throne is as follows:
1. The Prince of Wales
2. Prince George of Wales
3. Princess Charlotte of Wales
4. Prince Louis of Wales
5. The Duke of Sussex
6. Prince Archie of Sussex
7. Princess Lilibet of Sussex
8. The Duke of York
9. Princess Beatrice
10. Miss Sienna Mapelli Mozzi
There have been varying reactions to the news, with Trade Minister Sir Chris Bryant telling the BBC that Andrew should be extradited to the US to answer questions about Epstein’s crimes.
He said: "I think that just as with any ordinary member of the public, if there were requests from another jurisdiction of this kind, I would expect any decently-minded person to comply with that request."
Bryant added: "What I’m basically saying is that I think that if Andrew is asked to do something by a Senate committee, then I would have thought that he would want to comply."
The UK’s Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, has publicly announced that he ‘fully supports’ the Palace's decision to remove Andrew's titles.
"We fully support the decision taken yesterday by the Palace," a spokesperson said, before mentioning Epstein’s victim, Virginia Giuffre. "Our hearts go out to the family of Virginia Giuffre and all the victims who suffered from Jeffrey Epstein's despicable crimes."
Giuffre sadly passed away by suicide in April, just months before the release of her tell-all memoir regarding Epstein.
"We echo the statement yesterday that our thoughts and utmost sympathies have been and will remain with the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse," it continued, referring to a statement made by Buckingham Palace on October 30.
However, Downing Street has confirmed it has no plans to introduce a law to change the line of succession so that he would be removed from it.
The spokesperson revealed the government does not intend to do such a thing, as per the BBC.
Topics: Prince Andrew, Royal Family, UK News, Jeffrey Epstein
Britt Jones