Every Surprising Way to Lose a Royal Title
Every Surprising Way to Lose a Royal Title
Laura Rizzo ChaganiSat, March 28, 2026 at 3:38 AM UTC
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Earning a title in the British royal family is relatively straightforward, but losing a title gets a bit more complicated.
Questions about how and why someone can lose their royal title have been relevant following the stripping of Andrew Mountbatten Windsor's titles amid the ongoing fallout from his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
In October 2025, Buckingham Palace released a statement announcing King Charles’ decision to remove his brother’s titles as Prince and Duke of York and relocate him to a different residence.
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“His Majesty has today initiated a formal process to remove the style, titles and honours of Prince Andrew. Prince Andrew will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor,” the statement read at the time, per BBC. “His lease on Royal Lodge has, to date, provided him with legal protection to continue in residence. Formal notice has now been served to surrender the lease and he will move to alternative private accommodation. These censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him.”
The palace added, “Their Majesties wish to make clear that their thoughts and utmost sympathies have been, and will remain with, the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse.”
TOPSHOT - Britain's Prince Andrew, Duke of York (L) and Britain's King Charles III leave following a Requiem Mass, a Catholic funeral service, for the late Katharine, Duchess of Kent, at Westminster Cathedral in London on September 16, 2025. Britain's Duchess of Kent, known for her links to the Wimbledon tennis tournament and for anonymously teaching music at a primary school. The duchess, a talented pianist, organist and singer, was born Katharine Worsley into an aristocratic family in Yorkshire, northern England. (Photo by Adrian Dennis / AFP) (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images (ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)
After his arrest in February 2026, Andrew is under investigation for potential corruption and misuse of public office. He is reportedly relocating to Marsh Farm, a rural property on the Sandringham Estate, in April, following renovations being done to the property. In addition to losing his titles, government officials are considering legislation to remove him from the royal line of succession, an act that can only be done by Parliament. As it stands, Andrew is eighth in line for the throne.
Andrew losing his titles amid such a startling scandal is rare but not totally unprecedented. See all the ways a British royal can lose their titles and who makes the decision.
Letters Patent and Royal Warrants
The reigning monarch can grant, alter, or remove royal titles and His/Her Royal Highness (HRH) styles using Letters Patent and Royal Warrants. This allows the King to regulate the structure of the Royal Family without needing parliamentary legislation.
This was how Charles was able to strip Andrew’s titles under his own prerogative.
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Act of Parliament
The Titles Deprivation Act 1917 set an early precedent for Parliament’s power within the royal family.
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Three royals and one Viscount had their titles stripped after Parliament urged King George V to remove anyone who “adhered to His Majesty’s enemies” during World War I, namely Germany.
“This was a specific piece of legislation passed during the First World War and does not provide a general power to remove peerages or other titles,” UK Parliament wrote on its website.
Parliament is also the only body that can officially remove someone from the line of succession via legislation.
Abdication and Voluntary Relinquishment
King Edward VIII is the only British royal in modern history to voluntarily give up the throne when he married Wallis Simpson, an American divorcée. Queen Elizabeth II’s father, King George VI, ascended to the throne in 1936 after his brother abdicated.
While he was the only direct heir to the throne, Edward wasn’t alone in stepping away for love. Princess Patricia of Connaught, granddaughter of Queen Victoria, voluntarily relinquished her title in 1919 to marry commoner Alexander Ramsay.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were allowed to keep their titles, Duke and Duchess of Sussex, when they stepped down as senior royals in 2020. However, they are reportedly not allowed to use their HRH titles for commercial, public, or professional purposes. Harry is still fifth in line of succession, and their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, have kept their titles.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex attend a World Health Organisation roundtable with key donors and humanitarian partners in Amman, Jordan. Picture date: Wednesday February 25, 2026. (Photo by Aaron Chown/PA Images via Getty Images)Aaron Chown/PA Images via Getty Images (Aaron Chown/PA Images via Getty Images)
Harry and Meghan ensured their kids would be able to keep their titles, but Princess Anne, the only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, opted for a different path for her own children, Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall.
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Anne and ex-husband Mark Phillips’ kids were offered courtesy titles at their births, but their parents declined in hopes of giving them more normal lives.
"I think it was probably easier for them, and I think most people would argue that there are downsides to having titles," Princess Anne explained to Vanity Fair in 2020. "So I think that was probably the right thing to do."
Divorce
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - SEPTEMBER 15: Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, Sarah, Duchess of York, Prince Harry, Diana, Princess of Wales, wearing a green dress with yellow trim and matching hat, and the Duchess of Kent stand on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to watch The Battle of Britain Anniversary Parade on September 15, 1990 in London, England. (Photo by Anwar Hussein/Getty Images)Anwar Hussein/Getty Images (Anwar Hussein/Getty Images)
In 1996, Queen Elizabeth issued a Letters Patent barring divorced women from using their HRH titles. Her decree came the same year the divorces of Princess Diana and Charles and Sarah Ferguson and Andrew were finalized.
This story was originally published by Parade on Mar 28, 2026, where it first appeared in the Celebs section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
