Former Prince Andrew to lose his last military rank
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – The United Kingdom (UK) government said Sunday it would move to strip the former prince Andrew of his honorary title of vice-admiral, his last remaining military rank.
Andrew was stripped of his honorary military titles by his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, in 2022 after he was sued by Virginia Giuffre, United States (US) sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s main accuser.
The latest move comes after King Charles III on Thursday removed all his younger brother’s remaining royal titles and honours amid growing UK anger over Andrew’s ties to Epstein.
“We’ve seen Andrew surrender the honorary positions he’s had throughout the military… Guided again by the king, we are working now to remove that last remaining title of vice-admiral that he has,” Defence minister John Healey told the BBC.
He told the Laura Kuenssberg programme that the government would also be guided by the king on whether Andrew should lose his military medals.
The king’s younger brother was once feted for his role as a Royal Navy helicopter pilot in the 1982 Falklands War. He retired in 2001 after 22 years of service.
The UK government said Sunday it would move to strip the former prince Andrew of his honorary title of vice-admiral, his last remaining military rank.
Andrew was stripped of his honorary military titles by his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, in 2022 after he was sued by Virginia Giuffre, US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s main accuser.
The latest move comes after King Charles III on Thursday removed all his younger brother’s remaining royal titles and honours amid growing UK anger over Andrew’s ties to Epstein.
“We’ve seen Andrew surrender the honorary positions he’s had throughout the military… Guided again by the king, we are working now to remove that last remaining title of vice-admiral that he has,” Defence minister John Healey told the BBC.
He told the Laura Kuenssberg programme that the government would also be guided by the king on whether Andrew should lose his military medals.
The king’s younger brother was once feted for his role as a Royal Navy helicopter pilot in the 1982 Falklands War. He retired in 2001 after 22 years of service.
In an email released among court documents on Thursday in the US, Andrew wrote to Epstein in 2010 after his release from jail for prostituting minors that he was planning a trip to New York as it would be “good to catch up in person”.
