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The former Duke of York loses his naval title as King Charles aims to draw a line under the ongoing scandal regarding his brother's relationship with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Stripping of Honors In Progress

The former prince faces removal of his honorary rank of naval commander, which he was granted in 2015 and maintained even after giving up other armed forces roles in 2022.

Defence Secretary John Healey stated on Sunday that ministers were working with the king to remove his naval honours.

"Usually, the administration follows the decisions and judgments the king has made. Regarding military matters, it's exactly the same," Healey stated.

Further Repercussions

When questioned about Mountbatten Windsor could lose his military medals as well, the minister answered that they were "awards recognizing his military career" and added: "There's no current information on that, but just as with his naval title, we would be guided by the judgments the king makes."

Historical Circumstances

The former royal has been under renewed scrutiny over his ties to Epstein following the release of posthumous memoirs by Virginia Giuffre, who states she was forced to have sex with Mountbatten Windsor on multiple instances, including when she was a teenager.

Newly released emails demonstrate that the former prince contacted Epstein in 2010 after the financier got out from jail on charges of soliciting prostitution.

Through email exchanges made public recently, the disgraced financier suggested that Mountbatten Windsor meet former JP Morgan executive Jes Staley, who was prohibited from the UK banking sector for life in June for misleading the watchdog about his connections to Epstein.

Naval Career

Andrew was a member of the navy for more than two decades, including as a helicopter pilot during the Falklands war. After Giuffre filed three years ago, he stopped using most of his military titles but retained the rank of naval commander.

His military retirement pay is his sole existing means of official earnings after serving between 1979 and 2001, amounting to twenty thousand pounds annually.

Recent Developments

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

Royal staff had collaborated with civil servants in the government department to prevent the decision having to be taken by parliament, finally deciding that the king should remove the title entirely using his monarchical authority.

Although the removal of honors comes into effect immediately, the ex-royal is not anticipated to vacate Royal Lodge until following the holidays, meaning he will not be present when the royals gather at Sandringham for the festive season.