Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been evicted from his beloved mansion, Royal Lodge in Windsor, and has officially begun his royal exile in Sandringham, Norfolk.
The King's disgraced brother moved into Wood Farm Cottage on Monday night, under the cover of darkness, and will remain there while renovations continue at his more permanent home, Marsh Farm.
Last month, we asked HELLO! readers whether they thought Andrew should be removed from the line of succession. Yes, he has been kicked out of his home and stripped of his royal style, titles, and honours. But should the King, and government, go one step further and oust him from the line of succession?
In our website poll, a resounding 68 per cent of you answered "yes", Andrew should be displaced, while 32 per cent responded "no".
One reader, Iris, commented: "Symbolically, I think it is absolutely vital Andrew is removed from the line of succession. If he is deemed unworthy of holding his royal titles by the King, then he should have all trappings of royalty taken away. I don't think he should even be allowed to live on a royal estate too, whether Windsor or Sandringham. He should have no more rights than an everyday British citizen."
Aujouret concurred: "He should be treated like a commoner and he is not. Being stripped of titles and honors is phony when Andrew is still treated as a Royal."
Reader Raphael made perhaps the most valid point – that stripping Andrew of his titles means nothing if he "potentially, remote though it may be, be able to acquire the title of all titles, King, should he remain in the line of succession".
Do you agree with our readers? Let us know in the comments below.
© Getty Images*Month unconfirmed
June 2000
Epstein and Maxwell attend a party at Windsor Castle to mark Prince Andrew's 40th birthday, the Princess Royal’s 50th, the Queen Mother’s 100th and Princess Margaret's 70th, hosted by Queen Elizabeth II.
March 2001
Later, in 2014, Virginia Giuffre alleges that at age 17 she was trafficked by Epstein and forced to have sex with Prince Andrew on three occasions. The first occasion allegedly occurred in Maxwell’s London townhouse in March 2001. In the court filings and in her memoir released in October 2025, she claimed the other occasions occurred at Epstein's New York mansion and his private Caribbean island.
June 2008
Epstein admits to prostituting minors and is convicted, receiving an 18‑month prison sentence.
2009*
Epstein's former housekeeper, Juan Alessi, testifies during his employer's trial that Andrew received ''daily massages'' at Epstein's Florida home.
July 2009
Epstein is released from prison.
December 2010
Andrew is photographed with Epstein in New York's Central Park.
February 2011
The Mail on Sunday publishes a photo of Virginia's alleged first meeting with Prince Andrew. Andrew later emails Epstein saying ''we are in this together''.
March 2011
Alastair Watson – who spent nine years as Andrew’s private secretary – writes to The Times saying Andrew met Epstein in the ''early 1990s''. Yet eight years later, Andrew told Newsnight that he first encountered Epstein through his ''girlfriend back in 1999'', later saying he saw Epstein ''infrequently and probably no more than once or twice a year''.
July 2011
Andrew resigns as UK trade envoy shortly.
December 2014
In a Florida court filing, Virginia alleges being trafficked by Epstein and also alleges to have been forced to have sex with him, Prince Andrew and other men. The judge later said in 2015 the claims are ''immaterial and impertinent'' to the case against Epstein.
January 2015
Buckingham Palace denies Andrew has committed any impropriety after he is named in US documents linked to Epstein.
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Andrew makes his first public engagement since the allegations. He says: ''I just wish to reiterate, and to reaffirm, the statements that have already been made on my behalf by Buckingham Palace.''
2015*
In a civil suit filed against Ghislaine Maxwell, Giuffre testifies that Epstein paid her $15,000 to have sex with Andrew.
May 2016
During a deposition in her case against Maxwell, it emerges that Giuffre lent the infamous photo to the FBI in 2011 but allegedly last saw it packed in a box and shipped from Colorado to Sydney sometime between between 2011 and 2016, when she emigrated to Australia.
June 2018
Alleged Chinese spy Yang Tengbo visits Buckingham Palace twice to meet Andrew. He is also said to gain entry to St James’s Palace and Windsor Castle after being invited by the Prince.
2019*
A newly released document includes a claim from Johanna Sjoberg, who has said she was an associate of Jeffrey Epstein, alleging that Prince Andrew touched her breast while she was sitting on a couch in Epstein's Manhattan apartment in 2001 - an allegation he has always denied.
August 2019
Epstein is found dead in his prison cell on 10 August, an apparent suicide, after being charged with sex trafficking.
Separately David Rogers, a pilot on Epstein's private jet, claims Andrew was a passenger on past flights with Epstein and Giuffre. Rogers also testifies that Epstein, Andrew and Giuffre travelled to the US Virgin Islands on 11 April 2001.
Buckingham Palace says the report contains ''inconsistencies'' and notes that in some cases Andrew was on a different continent.
In a statement, the Palace says Andrew is ''appalled by the recent reports of Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged crimes''.
Andrew also issues a statement: ''At no stage during the limited time I spend with him (Epstein) do I see, witness or suspect any behaviour of the sort that subsequently leads to his arrest and conviction.''
November 2019
BBC Newsnight broadcasts an interview in which Andrew speaks about his relationship with Epstein ''with no bars.'' He says he has ''no recollection'' of ever meeting Giuffre and adds he could not have had sex with her in March 2001 because he was at Pizza Express with his daughter, Beatrice, that day.
He also says he ''does not regret'' his friendship with Epstein, though he admits he should not have visited him in New York in 2010 to break off their friendship.
Four days after the interview, he announces he is stepping back from royal duties ''for the foreseeable future'' with permission from Queen Elizabeth II.
He says he ''deeply sympathises'' with Epstein’s victims and is willing ''to help any appropriate law enforcement agency with their investigations, if required.''
December 2019
Giuffre appeals to the British public in a BBC Panorama interview released in December 2019, urging them to ''stand up beside me… help me fight this fight'' and ''not accept this as being OK.''
January 2020
A US prosecutor claims Andrew has provided ''zero co‑operation'' in the Epstein sex trafficking inquiry.
US Attorney Geoffrey Berman speaks outside Epstein's Manhattan mansion saying Andrew's lawyers have been contacted by prosecutors and the FBI, who request to interview him.
March 2020
Andrew’s aide, Dominic Hampshire, writes to Yang Tengbo describing the alleged Chinese spy as one of ''Andrew's closest internal confidants''.
June 2020
Andrew's lawyers say he offered to assist the US Department of Justice ''on at least three occasions this year'' in their Epstein investigation.
Hours later, Berman says Andrew ''again seeks to falsely portray himself to the public as eager and willing to co‑operate,'' though he ''repeatedly declines'' requests to schedule an interview.
August 2021
Giuffre's lawyers file a civil suit against Andrew. The Prince is the only named defendant in the 15‑page claim, though Epstein and Maxwell are referenced throughout.
December 2021
Ghislaine Maxwell is convicted in New York of aiding Epstein’s sexual abuse of teenage girls.
January 2022
A US judge rules the civil case against Andrew may proceed.
Andrew is stripped of his military roles and royal patronages, and he relinquishes his HRH title. Buckingham Palace states Andrew ''continues not to undertake any public duties and is defending this case as a private citizen.''
February 2022
Court documents reveal that Andrew and Giuffre reach a ''settlement in principle'' in the civil claim. The papers say Andrew promised to make a ''substantial donation'' to Giuffre’s charity ''in support of victims' rights'', and pledged to ''demonstrate his regret for his association with Epstein.''
January 2024
Unsealed documents linked to Ms Giuffre’s civil claim against Ghislaine Maxwell revisit previously made allegations about Prince Andrew - including references to purported sex tapes and claims he was present at an event involving underage girls. Andrew has always denied any involvement in criminal activity.
December 2024
At a High Court hearing it emerges that Yang Tengbo, the alleged Chinese spy, is a ''close'' confidant of Andrew. Andrew issues a statement saying he ceased ''all contact'' with Yang once concerns arose.
Andrew is absent from the royal family's traditional gathering at Sandringham.
April 2025
Giuffre tragically dies by suicide aged 41 in Neergabby, Western Australia.
October 2025
An email reportedly sent by Prince Andrew to Jeffrey Epstein in 2011 - in which he is said to have written, "We are in this together" - has been unearthed by The Sun and is being described as a potential "smoking gun." Andrew has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
Why it's so hard to remove Andrew from line of succession
Andrew, who turns 66 later this month, was born second in line to the throne and has now moved down to eighth place. While it is near impossible that he will ever sit on the throne, much public sentiment argues it is the principle and the symbolism.
© Getty ImagesRoyal author Robert Jobson explained in HELLO! why it is highly impractical to remove Andrew from the line of succession. "It needs an Act of Parliament," Robert explained. "Not just MPs at Westminster. Under the Statute of Westminster 1931, all 15 Commonwealth realms – countries where the British monarch still reigns – must agree and vote it through their parliaments.
"That means identical legislation passing through Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, and eleven other independent parliaments. It is not unprecedented, but it needs the will of the MPs and the time for it to pass into law.
"With so much political upheaval around the world, Westminster's MPs have little appetite for making time to push this through. Opening succession law to parliamentary debate risks months of damaging headlines, hostile amendments, and worse, constitutional chaos. Government sources have made clear that they want to focus on 'other legislative priorities'."
Why Andrew should still be ousted
I understand why Andrew's ejection from the line of succession is unlikely. You can't half open a can of worms and start a years-long process that relies on governments around the world to concur on. The last time this happened was 2011's Perth Agreement, which introduced gender-equal succession and abolished male-preference primogeniture – but this took over three years to fully implement.
However, I go back to the optics and the principle. How can Andrew remain eighth-in-line with even the minutest possibility of wearing the Crown (the title of all titles as our reader Group Raphael pointed out) when he's been stripped of all other style, titles, and honours?
And on the point of optics, it's one thing to remain silent when you strongly believe in your innocence (which Andrew does), or to follow your late mother's mantra of "Never complain, never explain", but it's quite another to actively deny ever meeting a woman when you've been photographed with her.
The latest release of Epstein files triggered the most incriminating headlines and images of Andrew yet, showing the father-of-two crouching barefoot over an unidentified woman on the floor. After the publication of these photos – perhaps there are more to come amid the three million pages of documents released – it feels now more than ever is the right time to strip Andrew of his succession rights. If not for the symbolism, then for the victims. His own brother Prince Edward said just this week: "I think it's really important, always, to remember the victims and who are the victims in all this."
Do you agree with me or has Andrew been punished sufficiently? Let me know in the comments below…
