Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor
Mountbatten-Windsor in 2013
Born
Andrew Albert Christian Edward Mountbatten-Windsor

(1960-02-19) 19 February 1960
Buckingham Palace, London, England
Known forDuke of York (1986–2025)
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1986; div. 1996)​
Children
Parents
RelativesCharles III (brother)
FamilyWindsor
Military career
Allegiance United Kingdom
Branch Royal Navy
Years of active service1979–2001
Battles / warsFalklands War
Signature

Andrew Albert Christian Edward Mountbatten-Windsor (born 19 February 1960), formerly known as Prince Andrew, Duke of York, is a younger brother of Charles III, the Head of the Commonwealth.

Although he now has no royal status, Mountbatten-Windsor was eighth in line of succession to the British throne, as the second son of Elizabeth II.

He was the Duke of York from 1986 to 2025. In that role, he undertook official duties and engagements on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II.

He was the Special Representative for International Trade and Investment for ten years until July 2011.

Mountbatten-Windsor resigned from his royal duties in November 2019.[1][2][3] In 2025, he agreed to stop using his titles.[4]

On 17 October 2025, he publicly announced that he would no longer use his peerage titles.[5] In February 2026, he was arrested for misusing his public office.

Early life

Mountbatten-Windsor was born at Buckingham Palace in London.[6] He went to Heatherdown Preparatory School in Berkshire, and Gordonstoun in Scotland.[7]

Military career

Andrew served in the Royal Navy from 1979 to 2001.[8] He saw active duty as a helicopter pilot during the Falklands War.[9] He was promoted to rear admiral on his 50th birthday on 19 February 2010 and to vice admiral in 2015.[10]

Marriage and children

In 1986, Mountbatten-Windsor married Sarah Ferguson, the younger daughter of Ronald Ferguson, the polo manager for the Prince of Wales. They have two daughters from the marriage: Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie. Mountbatten-Windsor and his wife separated in 1992, and divorced in May 1996.[11][12] Their marriage, separation, and divorce attracted extensive media coverage.[13][14]

Controversy

Mountbatten-Windsor was accused of child sexual abuse by Virginia Giuffre who alleged that, at the age of 17, she was sex-trafficked to him by financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.[15] Mountbatten-Windsor categorically denied the allegation.[16]

On 16 November 2019, Mountbatten-Windsor was interviewed for the BBC television programme Newsnight. The interviewer talked about Mountbatten-Windsor's friendship with the convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who he had met through Ghislaine Maxwell.[17] The interview was very bad for the British royal family, because many people who saw the interview thought Mountbatten-Windsor was unsympathetic to Epstein's victims.[18][19]

Due to the sexual abuse allegations, Mountbatten-Windsor resigned from public roles in 2020. He was the defendant in a sexual assault lawsuit raised by Giuffre in 2022, which was settled out of court in February.[20]

On 30 October 2025, Buckingham Palace announced that "His Majesty has today initiated a formal process to remove the Style, Titles and Honours of Prince Andrew. Prince Andrew will now be known only as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor".[21][22] Mountbatten-Windsor's profile was removed from the royal website.[23]

Arrest and police investigation

In February 2026, Thames Valley Police said that they were thinking about investigating a report that Mountbatten-Windsor misused his office and shared official secrets.[24] He was arrested on the morning of 19 February for misusing his office as prince.[25][26] Charles III later released a statement saying that "the law must take its course".[26] The Guardian reported that this was the first arrest of a senior member of the British royal family since the arrest of King Charles I in 1647.[27]

Titles, styles, honours and arms

In 2022, Mountbatten-Windsor gave back his honorary military titles and royal patronages.[28] On October 17, 2025, he said he will stop using his peerage titles of Duke of York, Earl of Inverness, and Baron Killyleagh, and his honours, including his knighthoods as a Royal Knight Companion of the Order of the Garter and a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order. This happened after having talks with King Charles.[29][30]

Titles and styles

Royal monogram
  • 19 February 1960 – 23 July 1986, 17 October 2025 – October 2025: His Royal Highness The Prince Andrew
  • 23 July 1986 – 17 October 2025: His Royal Highness The Duke of York
    • In Scotland: His Royal Highness The Earl of Inverness
    • In Northern Ireland: Baron of Killyleagh
  • As from 17 October 2025: Mr. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor

Honours

Ranks in the military

  • 1979–1981: Midshipman, Britannia Royal Naval College, HMS Seahawk
  • 1981–1984: Sub Lieutenant, Pilot, 820 NAS on HMS Invincible
  • 1984–1992: Lieutenant, Pilot, 815 NAS on HMS Brazen; Helicopter Warfare Instructor, 702 NAS at RNAS Culdrose; Flight Commander, 829 NAS on HMS Campbeltown
  • 1992–1999: Lieutenant Commander, Captain, HMS Cottesmore; Senior Pilot, 815 NAS at RNAS Portland; Directorate of Naval Operations, British Ministry of Defence
  • 1999–2005: Commander, Diplomacy Section of the Naval Staff.[34] Released from the active list in 2001.[35]
  • 2005–2010: Honorary Captain[36]
  • 2010–2015: Rear Admiral[37]
  • 2015–: Vice-admiral[38][39]

Appointments

He had military appointments:

  • Personal Aide-de-Camp to the Queen (1 February 1984 – 13 January 2022)[40]

Honorary military appointments

In Canada he holds the following military appointments:

  • Colonel-in-Chief of the Canadian Airborne Regiment (disbanded)
  • Colonel-in-Chief of the Princess Louise Fusiliers
  • Colonel-in-Chief of the Queen's York Rangers (1st American Regiment)

An earlier[41] appointment was Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada.

In New Zealand he had military appointments:

  • Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal New Zealand Army Logistic Regiment[41]

In the UK he had military appointments:

  • Honorary Air Commodore of the Royal Air Force Lossiemouth[41]
  • Commodore-in-Chief of the Fleet Air Arm[41]
  • Colonel-in-Chief of the 9th/12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales's)
  • Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Irish Regiment (27th (Inniskilling) 83rd and 87th and Ulster Defence Regiment)
  • Colonel-in-Chief of the Small Arms School Corps
  • Colonel-in-Chief of the Yorkshire Regiment (14th/15th, 19th and 33rd/76th Foot)
  • Royal Colonel of the Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland
  • Admiral of the Sea Cadet Corps

Arms

Andrew's coat of arms.

The Duke's personal coat of arms are those of the Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom with a label for difference: Quarterly (by quarters):

1st and 4th, Gules three Lions passant guardant in pale Or (England). (The first and fourth quarters display the three lions, representing England.)
2nd quarter is of a lion rampant within a Double Tressure floury counterflory Gules (Scotland). (The second quarter, displays a red lion in a yellow field with a double border coloured red, this represents Scotland.)
3rd, Azure a Harp Or stringed Argent (Ireland). (The third quarter shows a harp against a blue background, this represents Ireland.)

The whole differenced by a Label of three points Argent the central point charged with an Anchor Azure. The anchor is in reference to his naval career.

The arms are identical to those his grandfather George VI used when still Duke of York.

References

  1. ↑ "Prince Andrew stepping back from royal duties". BBC News. 20 November 2019. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  2. ↑ Landler, Mark (2 December 2019). "Prince Andrew's Accuser Takes Her Case to the BBC". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  3. ↑ Quinn, Ben (20 November 2019). "Prince Andrew to step back from public duties 'for foreseeable future'". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
  4. ↑ Press, The Associated (2025-10-20). "U.K. royals and government face pressure to formally strip Prince Andrew of his titles". CTVNews. Retrieved 2025-10-20.
  5. ↑ Davies, Caroline (17 October 2025). "Prince Andrew gives up royal titles including Duke of York after 'discussion with king'". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 October 2025.
  6. ↑ Multiple sources:
  7. ↑ "Gordonstoun turns back clock to a golden age of cold showers (but would Prince Charles agree?)". The Scotsman. National World Limited. 28 April 2009. Archived from the original on 11 February 2026. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
  8. ↑ "No. 49322". The London Gazette (Supplement). 19 April 1983. p. 5304.
  9. ↑ Cawley, Charles (2015). Colonies in Conflict: The History of the British Overseas Territories. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 202. ISBN 978-1-4438-8128-9.
  10. ↑ Low, Valentine (12 February 2015). "Queen makes Prince Andrew a vice-admiral". The Times. London. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  11. ↑ Kindelan, Katie (11 May 2011). "Sarah Ferguson Reveals Her Road to Recovery in Documentary on OWN, Oprah Winfrey Network". ABC News. Retrieved 6 December 2020. She moved with her prince into Buckingham Palace but two weeks into their marriage, Mountbatten-Windsor was sent to sea and she only saw him for 40 days a year for the first five years.
  12. ↑ Harris, Paul (26 October 2002). "Fergie: How food became my only friend". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 November 2020. The ex-wife of Prince Andrew described how she struggled against obesity for most of her life and was devastated when tabloids dubbed her 'Duchess of Pork' and 'Fat Fergie'.
  13. ↑ Elser, Daniela (29 July 2019). "The toe-sucking photo that ruined the Duchess of York". news.com.au. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  14. ↑ Castle, Stephen (4 February 2008). "From Prince Andrew, critical words for U.S. on Iraq". The New York Times.
  15. ↑ "What are the allegations against Prince Andrew?". The Sun. 2022-02-15. Retrieved 2023-01-01.
  16. ↑ "Prince Andrew again denies having sex with Epstein victim". AP NEWS. 2021-04-20. Retrieved 2023-01-01.
  17. ↑ "As it happened: Prince Andrew's Interview". BBC News. 16 November 2019. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  18. ↑ Adam, Karla (17 November 2019). "Prince Andrew's Epstein interview roundly panned: 'nuclear explosion level bad'". The Washington Post. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
  19. ↑ Lewis, Aimee (17 November 2019). "Prince Andrew sparks near-universal condemnation with TV interview". CNN. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
  20. ↑ "Prince Andrew settles US civil sex assault case with Virginia Giuffre". BBC News. 2022-02-15. Retrieved 2023-01-01.
  21. ↑ Comerford, Ruth (31 October 2025). "How will Andrew's titles be removed and what happens next?". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
  22. ↑ Wylie, Catherine (31 October 2025). "Andrew Mountbatten Windsor: What is the history of the former duke's new name?". The Standard.
  23. ↑ Longmire, Becca (31 October 2025). "Prince Andrew's name erased from official royal list after he's stripped of all titles". People. Retrieved 31 October 2025.
  24. ↑ Coughlan, Sean (9 February 2026). "King 'ready to support' police as they assess Andrew claims over Epstein". BBC News. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  25. ↑ "Watch: Police arrive at Sandringham on Andrew's birthday". BBC News. 19 February 2026. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  26. 1 2 Moloney, Marita; Lee, Deulcie (19 February 2026). "Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor arrested and in custody on suspicion of misconduct in public office". BBC News. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  27. ↑ Ambrose, Tom (2026-02-19). "Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor arrested live: King Charles says 'law must take its course' and police have his full support". the Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2026-02-19.
  28. ↑ https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-59987935. Retrieved 13 January 2022
  29. ↑ "BBC News live coverage: Prince Andrew relinquishes titles". BBC News. 17 October 2025. Retrieved 17 October 2025.
  30. ↑ "A statement by Prince Andrew". Royal.uk. The Royal Household. 17 October 2025. Retrieved 17 October 2025.
  31. ↑ "No. 56951". The London Gazette. 2 June 2003. p. 6753.
  32. ↑ "No. 59705". The London Gazette. 21 February 2011. p. 3089.
  33. ↑ "Honours of the Crown". Archived from the original on 2007-12-21. Retrieved 2008-09-28.
  34. ↑ "The Duke of York – Naval Career". The Duke of York official website. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  35. ↑ "No. 56295". The London Gazette (1st supplement). 7 August 2001. p. 9327.
  36. ↑ "No. 57705". The London Gazette (1st supplement). 19 July 2005. p. 9323.
  37. ↑ "No. 59341". The London Gazette (1st supplement). 23 February 2010. p. 3085.
  38. ↑ "Prince Andrew loses military titles and patronages". BBC News. 13 January 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  39. ↑ "No. 61160". The London Gazette (2nd supplement). 3 March 2015. p. 3798.
  40. ↑ "Honours and Decorations". The Duke of York. 26 October 2015. Retrieved 12 January 2020.
  41. 1 2 3 4 "Prince Andrew loses military titles and use of HRH". BBC News. 13 January 2022.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor
Born: 19 February 1960
Lines of succession
Preceded by
Princess Lilibet of Sussex		 Succession to the British throne
8th in line		 Followed by
Princess Beatrice
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