Despite Buckingham Palace’s announcement that Prince Andrew will be stripped of his “prince” title, it has since emerged that the disgraced royal still technically remains eligible to inherit the British throne.

The 65-year-old’s princely status was officially removed by his brother, King Charles III, on Thursday (October 30) following renewed scrutiny over Andrew’s ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Andrew had already lost several of his titles in 2022 — three years after Virginia Giuffre accused him of having sex with her on three separate occasions while she was a minor, after being trafficked by Epstein.

Although the Duke reached an out-of-court settlement with Giuffre in a U.S. civil case, he denied the allegations and stepped down as a working royal. At the time, he surrendered the use of his “HRH” style, along with his “Earl of Inverness” and “Baron Killyleagh” titles.

In the latest development, King Charles has now stripped Andrew of his “Duke of York” title and revoked his remaining princely status.

Giuffre, who detailed her alleged encounters with Andrew in a memoir published posthumously earlier this month, tragically took her own life earlier this year.

The Palace confirmed the move in a formal statement, noting that Andrew’s long-standing association with Epstein had “brought the Crown into disrepute.”

“Formal notice has now been served to surrender the lease, and he will move to alternative private accommodation,” the statement said. “These censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him.”

Reacting to the decision, Giuffre’s brother, Sky Roberts, described it as “a victory unprecedented in history,” adding, “She’s celebrating from the heavens now saying, ‘I did it.’ She’d be so proud. He’s just Andrew.”

However, while Andrew will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, his place in the royal line of succession remains unchanged. He is still eighth in line to the throne, followed by his daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, who sit ninth and twelfth respectively.

Royal experts note that removing a royal title does not automatically alter an individual’s position in the succession. That order is determined by law — specifically the Succession to the Crown Act 2013 — which governs factors such as birthright, legitimacy, religion, and marriage.

Given Andrew’s distance from the throne and his current non-working royal status, commentators believe his position is unlikely to change.

Royal commentator Victoria Murphy previously observed, “As far as Beatrice and Eugenie go, I think there’s an understanding that this scandal doesn’t involve them, and it wouldn’t be fair for it to directly impact the independent lives they’re building.”

Their titles also remain protected by King George V’s Letters Patent of 1917, which decrees that the children of a sovereign, and the children of a sovereign’s sons, are entitled to royal status at birth.

For now, the Duke of York may have lost his style and status — but not his place in Britain’s centuries-old royal hierarchy.