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Prince Andrew will be stripped of his naval title as the monarch seeks to put an end to the ongoing scandal surrounding his brother's relationship with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Stripping of Honors In Progress

The former prince will be stripped of his military title of vice-admiral, which he was granted in 2015 and had retained even after surrendering other military positions in 2022.

Defence Secretary John Healey announced on Sunday that ministers were working with the king to strip his military titles.

"Typically, the government has been guided by the rulings and determinations the king has made. Regarding military matters, it's exactly the same," the defense secretary said.

Additional Consequences

Asked whether the former duke could lose his military medals as well, the minister answered that they were "medals for his service" and added: "There's no current information on that, but similar to his vice-admiral rank, we would be guided by the decisions the king makes."

Historical Circumstances

Mountbatten Windsor has been facing fresh examination over his ties to Epstein following the release of posthumous memoirs by Virginia Giuffre, who states she was compelled into sexual encounters with Andrew on three occasions, including when she was 17 years old.

Recently disclosed emails show that the ex-royal contacted Epstein in 2010 after the latter was released from jail on allegations involving soliciting prostitution.

In the correspondence made public recently, the disgraced financier proposed that Andrew meet former JP Morgan executive Jes Staley, who was banned from the UK banking sector for life in June for deceiving regulators about his relationship with Epstein.

Naval Career

Andrew served in the navy for over 20 years, including as a helicopter pilot during the Falklands war. After Giuffre filed three years ago, he stopped using most of his armed forces honors but retained the rank of vice-admiral.

The navy pension is his sole existing means of declared income after serving between 1979 and 2001, amounting to £20,000 a year.

Latest Changes

Royal officials officially declared last week he would lose the titles of royal titles, as well as being required to vacate his residence at Royal Lodge and move into personal housing in Sandringham.

Palace officials had worked with government employees in the Cabinet Office to prevent the decision having to be approved by lawmakers, eventually agreeing that the king should abolish the dukedom entirely using his powers of royal prerogative.

While the removal of honors comes into effect right away, the former prince is not anticipated to vacate Royal Lodge until after Christmas, meaning he will not be in attendance when the family convenes at Sandringham for the festive season.