King Charles III, much like Queen Elizabeth II before him, finds himself unable to relinquish Prince Andrew’s royal titles, as this authority lies beyond the monarchy. As clarified by the royal blog Gert’s Royals in a post on X, formerly Twitter, the U.K. government has the final say when it comes to titles.
“As far as removing Prince Andrew’s title, King Charles does not have the power to do that. Parliament can remove titles,” the post read. However, doing so will prove to be a challenge at this time, considering that Prince Andrew has yet to be charged or convicted of any crimes. “In the eyes of the U.K. government, he is innocent,” the statement added. And if Prince Andrew does receive a conviction, Gert’s Royals noted that it’s the government’s judicial arm that will “determine if someone is guilty” and that “other branches can act on that decision,” which could then result in the loss of his titles.
However, despite his inability to strip his brother of his titles, King Charles is reportedly adamant that Prince Andrew shouldn’t ever continue with his royal responsibilities. “The King is absolutely resolute that there can be no return to public duties for the Duke of York,” a source told The Mirror. “He has always been clear that the Duke is a much-loved member of the family, but that does not mean there will be a change in tack when it comes to his royal status.”
