Following the removal of Prince Andrew’s princely title on October 30, after renewed attention to his links with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, questions have now arisen over the official status of his two daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.
King Charles III’s latest ruling confirmed that the 65-year-old will now be formally known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor and that both he and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, will be evicted from their longtime residence.
King Charles’ Formal Action
In a statement from Buckingham Palace, officials announced: “His Majesty has today initiated a formal process to remove the Style, Titles and Honours of Prince Andrew. His lease on Royal Lodge has, to date, provided him with legal protection to continue in residence. Formal notice has now been served to surrender the lease, and he will move to alternative private accommodation.”
This decision followed the posthumous publication of a memoir by Virginia Giuffre, who had accused Andrew in 2019 of sexually abusing her on three occasions while she was a minor after being trafficked by Epstein. The two reached an out-of-court settlement in 2022, but Giuffre took her own life earlier this year.
Her memoir detailed new allegations of sexual encounters with Andrew during her teenage years. Just days before its release, the Duke had already relinquished his Duke of York title.
Beatrice and Eugenie’s Titles Unlikely to Be Affected
Although both Andrew and Sarah Ferguson have now lost their royal styles and privileges—Sarah after her email describing Epstein as a “supreme friend” came to light—experts believe that their daughters will not face the same consequences.
According to royal historians, Princesses Beatrice, 37, and Eugenie, 35, are expected to retain their titles under King George V’s 1917 Letters Patent. This ruling states that the children of a sovereign, as well as the children of a sovereign’s sons, are automatically granted royal status at birth. These rights can only be revoked by the reigning monarch under exceptional circumstances.
Additionally, as neither Beatrice nor Eugenie are working royals and do not perform official duties on behalf of the King, their father’s scandal is not seen as damaging to their independent lives or professional reputations.
