Prince Andrew is no longer the Duke of York. His statement released on Friday revealed that he’s giving up the title in the midst of “continued accusations” against him. The Duke title may not be unclaimed for too long – it could be passed to Prince Louis.
Prince Andrew gave up his titles, including the Duke of York
Andrew dramatically stepped back from the royal family, giving up his titles and honors on October 17. In a statement, he noted that “the continued accusations about me distract from the work of” the king.
It’s far from a total ousting. He’s still a prince, keeps his place in the line of succession, and is believed to be staying in his home on the royal Windsor estate. But the move does means that the disgraced royal will no longer be referred to as the Duke of York.
Technically, the royal title can’t be officially removed without an Act of Parliament. It’s more likely that the title will just go unused until Andrew dies.
The Duke of York title passes only through the male line. So, Prince Andrew’s daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie, can’t inherit it. The title is traditionally passed to the second son – Queen Elizabeth gave it to Andrew on his wedding day to Sarah Ferguson.
So, if Prince William has become king by the time Andrew dies, he could choose to pass the title to his own second born son – Prince Louis. Of course, nothing is set in stone yet. William is likely to give all his three children titles when he ascends the throne, but he may decide to go against tradition. After all, he has recently spoken about how he wants to mix things up when he becomes monarch.
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