Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor loses final military title six weeks after royal role ended

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been stripped of his honorary rank of vice admiral, the final military title he holds, the MOD has confirmed.

The former prince's rank will revert to Commander (Retired), the rank he held on his retirement from regular Royal Naval service, the Defence Council has decided.

The move follows the King's decision at the beginning of November to formally strip his younger brother of his princely status, his Duke of York title, and the style of His Royal Highness – marking a definitive end to Andrew's public life as a member of the Royal Family.

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Defence Secretary John Healey had said at the time of the King's decision that his department was working to remove the rank, which the former royal was awarded on his 55th birthday in 2015, and MOD sources said they expected the process of removing Andrew's rank to be completed "in short order".

An MOD spokesman said: "Following formal consideration, Defence Council have agreed the immediate reversion from the rank of Vice Admiral to the rank of Commander (Retired) Royal Navy, the rank held on retirement from Regular Royal Naval Service by Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

"This decision aligns with such processes as to remove other styles and titles."

The loss of this final title brings a stark conclusion to a royal career that once featured a prominent military role.

Andrew, a former Royal Navy helicopter pilot who served in the Falklands War as part of a 22-year military career, had already handed back his honorary military appointments in 2022, as public and institutional pressure mounted on the palace to act.

The King's decision, confirmed by Buckingham Palace, follows years of speculation over Andrew's future after his association with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, and his withdrawal from public duties in 2019.

While the former duke had already been excluded from royal engagements, this formal act severed his final symbolic ties to the monarchy.

Andrew has been associated with the Royal Navy since 1979, when he began officer training at Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth.

He subsequently served as a helicopter pilot and was part of the task force deployed to retake the Falklands following the Argentinian invasion in 1982.

He ended his active naval career in 2001 with the rank of commander, but later received honorary promotions, including to vice-admiral in 2015.

Which military titles did he have, and what did he give up in 2022?

Those positions – long a source of pride and public visibility – included:

:: Colonel of the Grenadier Guards

:: Royal Colonel of the Royal Highland Fusiliers

:: Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Highland Fusiliers (Canada)

:: Colonel-in-Chief of the Yorkshire Regiment

:: Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Lancers

:: Colonel-in-Chief of the Small Arms School Corps

:: Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Irish Regiment

:: Colonel-in-Chief of the Princess Louise Fusiliers (Canada)

:: Colonel-in-Chief of the Queen’s York Rangers

:: Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal New Zealand Army Logistic Regiment

:: Honorary Air Commodore of RAF Lossiemouth

:: Commodore-in-Chief of the Fleet Air Arm

These honorary commands had reflected Andrew's long-standing association with the Armed Forces, and their removal in 2022 was seen as the first clear sign that his royal role was irretrievable.

By formally stripping him of his titles in November, King Charles closed the final chapter on his brother's public standing – a move both symbolic and constitutional, underscoring the King's determination to protect the integrity of the monarchy.

Andrew is now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. He has also been ordered to leave Royal Lodge, the 30-bedroom home on the Windsor Estate he has lived in with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson for more than two decades.