Andrew was born in 1960, the second son of Queen Elizabeth II. For decades he was a prominent member of the royal family. He served in the Royal Navy, including in the Falklands War, and later worked as a UK trade envoy. In 1986 he was made Duke of York.
His reputation was badly damaged by his long friendship with the American financier Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender. Virginia Giuffre had alleged that, as a teenager, she was trafficked by Epstein and forced to have sexual encounters with Andrew. Andrew has always denied the allegations.
After his disastrous BBC Newsnight interview in November 2019, he stepped back from public duties. In January 2022, the Queen removed his military titles and royal patronages. Weeks later, he settled a civil case brought by Giuffre in the United States, without admitting liability. 
In 2025, pressure grew again. New reports and documents renewed scrutiny of his past conduct, and a memoir by Giuffre, who died in April 2025, was published in October. On 17 October 2025, Andrew announced that, after discussion with the King and his wider family, he would no longer use his titles, including Duke of York. He again denied the accusations against him.
Days later, the King went further. On 30 October 2025, Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles had begun a formal process to remove Andrew’s style, title and honours. He would now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. The palace said he would also give up the lease on Royal Lodge, his long-time home in Windsor, and move to private accommodation.
The palace statement said that these steps were necessary, even though Andrew continued to deny the allegations. It added that the thoughts and utmost sympathies of the King and Queen had been, and would remain, with the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse.
It was an extraordinary step. Few, if any, modern monarchs had acted so publicly against a member of their own immediate family.
For many people, the decision was long overdue. For others, it was a sad end for a man who had once been one of the most popular members of the royal family. Either way, the King’s decision marked one of the most dramatic moments of his reign, and the final fall of the man once known as the Duke of York.