Former Prince Andrew's Name Changed on Line of Succession in Latest Blow — and Yes, He's Still in Line to the Throne

The former Prince Andrew's name change, without his titles, has been made official on the royal family's line of succession.

After King Charles, 77, stripped his younger brother of all royal titles and honors, it was announced that the former Duke of York would be known simply as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. Updates were made to the royal family's official website to reflect the change, including removing his biography page completely earlier this month.

However, the line of succession to the throne page had yet to be updated and still listed Andrew as the Duke of York. As of Nov. 26, the website was changed to refer to him as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

Andrew, 65, remains in the line of succession despite losing his royal titles, honors and public role. As the second son of Queen Elizabeth, he was second in the line of succession upon his birth, just behind his older brother, Charles. As Charles had children and grandchildren, Andrew was pushed down in the order, and he is currently eighth behind Prince Harry's two children, 6-year-old son Prince Archie and 4-year-old daughter Princess Lilibet.

Removing Andrew from the line of succession would require an Act of Parliament as well as the consent of the Commonwealth realms where King Charles is monarch, per the BBC.

While rare, it's not unprecedented for a royal to lose their spot in the line of succession. King Edward VIII lost his place in the line of succession when he abdicated the throne in 1936 and became the Duke of Windsor. Prince Michael of Kent was also removed from the line of succession when he married a Catholic in 1978, keeping with the Act of Settlement of 1701. However, Michael was reinstated with the 2013 Succession to the Crown Act.

Andrew stepped back from his public royal role in 2019 following his shocking BBC interview in which he discussed his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died in jail the same year while charged with the sex trafficking of minors. Queen Elizabeth stripped her son of his military titles and patronages in early 2022 after a judge rejected Andrew's attempt to have Virginia Giuffre’s sexual assault lawsuit against him dismissed. He later settled with Giuffre out of court for an undisclosed sum.

Andrew continued to join the royals at family events like holiday church outings and funerals since, but there was renewed scrutiny of the former prince in recent weeks. Giuffre, who died by suicide in April, claimed in a memoir published posthumously that Andrew “believed having sex with me was his birthright,” describing three occasions Epstein allegedly arranged for her to meet him beginning at age 17.

In addition, recently leaked emails showed that Andrew was in touch with Epstein after he had claimed to break off contact.

Andrew has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

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Andrew announced on Oct. 17 that he would give up the use of his royal titles and other honors. However, Buckingham Palace released a new statement on Oct. 30, announcing that the King had begun the formal process to strip his brother of all titles and honors, including prince and the "His Royal Highness" styling, and it was made official on Nov. 3 with a Letters Patent.

The former Prince Andrew was recently seen for the first time since losing his titles. On Nov. 17, he was photographed riding a horse on the grounds of Windsor Castle. The sighting suggests that he has yet to vacate Royal Lodge, the 30-bedroom mansion in Windsor Great Park, where he has lived for two decades. Along with losing his royal titles, he will also leave the home and relocate to the royal family's private Sandringham estate.