London, December 2, 2025 – In a decisive move that marks the near-total erasure of his once-prominent status within the British monarchy, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, Duke of York, has been officially divested of his memberships in the Order of the Garter and the Royal Victorian Order. The announcements, published in the London Gazette on December 1 at midday, formalize King Charles III's directives to cancel and annul these prestigious honors, erasing Andrew's name from their respective registers. This development comes just weeks after he was stripped of his princely title and the Dukedom of York, leaving him clinging to only one vestige of his former military career: an honorary rank as vice-admiral in the Royal Navy, which the government has pledged to remove.
The Order of the Garter, founded in 1348 by King Edward III and regarded as the oldest and most exalted order of chivalry in the United Kingdom, is personally bestowed by the sovereign and symbolizes exceptional public service. Andrew was appointed a Knight Companion on 23 April 2006 by Queen Elizabeth II, allowing his heraldic banner to be displayed in St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle. His appointment as Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order on 19 February 2011 recognized distinguished personal service to the Crown. Both honors have now been formally revoked.
The exact wording published in the London Gazette reads:
“THE KING has directed that the appointment of Andrew Albert Christian Edward MOUNTBATTEN-WINDSOR to be a Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, dated 23 April 2006, shall be cancelled and annulled and that his name shall be erased from the Register of the said Order.”
“THE KING has directed that the appointment of Andrew Albert Christian Edward MOUNTBATTEN-WINDSOR to be a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order, dated 19 February 2011, shall be cancelled and annulled and that his name shall be erased from the Register of the said Order.”
These notices give legal effect to an agreement reached on 30 October, when Andrew consented to relinquish the honors, though the formal publication was delayed until the beginning of December.
The physical symbols of his former status have already been removed. On 23 October 2025, his coat of arms banner was quietly taken down from St George’s Chapel – an extraordinarily rare step that has historically only been taken in cases of high treason or rebellion against the Crown. The chapel now displays only three Garter banners, with Andrew’s conspicuously absent.
Andrew’s eviction from Royal Lodge, the 30-room mansion in Windsor Great Park he has occupied since 2002, was originally intended to happen “as soon as practicable” after the 30 October announcement. However, the move has been postponed until at least February 2026. Sources close to the situation say Andrew is struggling to downsize from the sprawling property, where he holds a long lease until 2078 but has agreed to surrender it. He is expected to relocate to a smaller, privately owned house on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk.
His only remaining official title is the honorary rank of vice-admiral in the Royal Navy, awarded on his 55th birthday in 2015. Andrew served 22 years in the Navy, including active duty as a Sea King helicopter pilot during the 1982 Falklands War, flying dangerous decoy missions. The rank carries a modest annual pension and is his sole declared income since stepping back from public duties.
Unlike the chivalric orders, the vice-admiral title falls under government rather than royal authority. Defence Secretary John Healey confirmed in early November that the government is “working to remove” the rank at the King’s request, describing it as the “last remaining title” to be addressed. Former First Sea Lord Admiral Lord West called the ongoing delay “extraordinary,” pointing out that such removals have been carried out far more swiftly in other cases.
The accelerated stripping of honors follows renewed public and political pressure triggered by the October 2025 publication of Virginia Giuffre’s posthumous memoir and further unsealed U.S. court documents related to Jeffrey Epstein. On 17 October, Andrew voluntarily announced he would cease using the style “Duke of York” and its associated Scottish and Northern Irish peerages, citing the “distraction” they caused to the royal family’s work. That voluntary step quickly became mandatory, with the King initiating a formal process on 30 October to remove all remaining styles, titles, and honors.
With the latest Gazette notices, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is now a private citizen with no royal style (HRH), no dukedom, and no place in the chivalric orders that once defined his status. Only the naval rank – and the government’s timetable for its removal – stands between him and complete severance from the institutional trappings of the monarchy.
As he prepares for one final Christmas at Royal Lodge before the delayed relocation to Norfolk, the once-prominent royal faces an uncertain future, financially dependent on past settlements and whatever private support the King chooses to extend. The episode represents one of the most comprehensive and public falls from grace in modern royal history, drawing a firm line under a scandal that has shadowed the Windsor family for years.
