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The former Duke of York will be stripped of his naval title as King Charles aims to put an end to the ongoing scandal surrounding his brother's relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Stripping of Honors In Progress

Andrew Mountbatten Windsor is losing 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 confirmed on Sunday that ministers were working with the king to strip his military titles.

"Typically, the government has been guided by the decisions and judgments the king has made. Regarding military matters, it's precisely identical," Healey stated.

Further Repercussions

When questioned about Mountbatten Windsor 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 just as with his naval title, we would be guided by the decisions the king makes."

Historical Circumstances

The former royal has been under renewed scrutiny over his ties to Epstein following the publication of posthumous memoirs by Virginia Giuffre, who claims she was compelled into sexual encounters with Andrew on multiple instances, including when she was a teenager.

Newly released emails show that the former prince contacted Epstein in 2010 after the financier got out from jail on charges of sex trafficking.

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

Naval Career

The former duke was a member of the navy for over 20 years, including as a aircraft commander during the Falklands war. After Giuffre filed three years ago, he stopped using most of his armed forces honors but kept the rank of vice-admiral.

The navy pension is his only current source of declared income after his service from 1979 and 2001, reportedly totaling £20,000 a year.

Recent Developments

Royal officials officially declared last week he would be stripped of the honors of prince and Duke of York, as well as being made to leave his home in Windsor and relocate to personal housing in Sandringham.

Palace officials had collaborated with civil servants in the government department to avoid the decision having to be taken by parliament, finally deciding that the king should remove the title entirely using his powers of royal prerogative.

While the loss of his titles comes into effect immediately, the former prince is not anticipated to vacate Royal Lodge until following the holidays, meaning he will not be in attendance when the family convenes at Sandringham for the festive season.