Andrew to lose his last military title

3 days ago 6

London: Andrew Mountbatten Windsor will lose his last military title in a British government move to respond to the scandals surrounding the former prince, ending his time as an honorary vice admiral in the Royal Navy.

The government confirmed the plan was under way to remove the title in an imminent change after King Charles formally scrapped his younger brother’s status as a prince and a duke.

Andrew pictured in 2011 with daughters Princess Eugenie (left) and Princess Beatrice.

The plans were revealed one day after a major opinion poll of British adults showed that 79 per cent approved of the King’s decision to strip the former prince of his titles – but 58 per cent believed the action should have been taken sooner.

The formal steps already taken mean that Mountbatten Windsor is not considered a prince and has lost his position as Duke of York and other titles, after Buckingham Palace scrapped these titles in the official records of the peerage last week.

He continues to hold the honorary position of vice admiral, however, until the government formally remove this title as well.

The Secretary of State for Defence, John Healey, revealed over the weekend that steps were under way to remove the military title at the King’s advice.

“The government’s been guided by the decisions and judgments the King’s made,” he said on the BBC.

“In defence, it’s exactly the same. We’ve seen Andrew surrender the honorary positions he’s had throughout the military. Guided again by the King, we are working now to remove that last remaining title of vice admiral that he has.”

Andrew pictured in 1986 while serving in the Royal Navy.

This is not expected to have any impact on the medals Mountbatten Windsor has received from his time in the Royal Navy, given that these reflected his service, including his time as a helicopter pilot during the Falklands War.

Healey emphasised the move reflected the wishes of the King.

“It’s hard to convey just how important the royalty and royal figures are, when they have honorary positions and their connection with the military,” Healey said.

“It’s a huge commitment that people in uniform make. They make it to the King, and they’re massively proud to have the royals associated with their regiment or their squadron.

“And so this is a move that’s right, it’s a move that the King has indicated we should take, and we’re working on that at the moment.”

Polling company YouGov found that 79 per cent of people thought the King had made the right call last Thursday by removing Andrew’s titles and honours, going beyond the decision two weeks ago for the former prince to give up the use of his title as Duke of York.

“The public overwhelmingly back the King’s decision to strip Andrew of his prince title,” the polling firm said, basing this on a survey of 4739 respondents.

“But while they feel the King has made the right decision in the end, 58 per cent of Britons feel the royal family have moved too slowly in dealing with the controversy.”

Only 21 per cent said the speed of the decision was “about right” and the remainder were unsure.

On a further question, however, there was majority support for the action so far: 53 per cent said the King had done all he could. Another 28 per cent said he could do more, but the survey did not list the further options that might gain approval.

Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Sign up for our weekly What in the World newsletter.