Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor

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. In 2025, he agreed to stop using his titles. 

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

Early life
Mountbatten-Windsor was born at Buckingham Palace in London.Multiple sources: He went to Heatherdown Preparatory School in Berkshire, and Gordonstoun in Scotland.

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

 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. Their marriage, separation, and divorce attracted extensive media coverage.

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. Mountbatten-Windsor categorically denied the allegation.

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. 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.

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.

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". Mountbatten-Windsor's profile was removed from the royal website.

 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. He was arrested on the morning of 19 February for misusing his office as prince. Charles III later released a statement saying that "the law must take its course". 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.

 Titles, styles, honours and arms 
In 2022, Mountbatten-Windsor gave back his honorary military titles and royal patronages.https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-59987935. Retrieved 13 January 2022 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. 

 Titles and styles 
 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 
  Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO), 19 December 1979
  KCVO: Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order, 3 June 2003
  GCVO: Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order, 21 February 2011
  South Atlantic Medal, with rosette, 1982
  Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal, 1977
  New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal, 1990
  Canadian Forces Decoration
  Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal, 2002
  Commemorative Medal for the Centennial of Saskatchewan, 2005
  KG: Knight of the Garter, 23 April 2006

 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. Released from the active list in 2001.
 2005–2010: Honorary Captain
 2010–2015: Rear Admiral
 2015–: Vice-admiral

 Appointments 
He had military appointments:
 Personal Aide-de-Camp to the Queen (1 February 1984 – 13 January 2022)

 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 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

In the UK he had military appointments:
 Honorary Air Commodore of the Royal Air Force Lossiemouth
 Commodore-in-Chief of the Fleet Air Arm
 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 
150px|right|thumb|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 

Category:1960 births
Category:Living people
Category:House of Windsor
Category:British princes
Category:British sex offenders
Category:Child sexual abusers
Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order
Category:Knights of the Garter
Category:Royalty from London
York
Category:Elizabeth II