London, 1 November (H.S.): The departure of Andrew Mountbatten Windsor from his long-time Royal Lodge residence has been delayed and may not occur until the new year. The postponement is reportedly to avoid the awkwardness of his presence at Sandringham during the Royal Family's traditional Christmas gathering, following King Charles III's decisive move on Thursday to strip his younger brother of his titles and order him to vacate the Windsor mansion.

After months of mounting pressure over his association with the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, King Charles initiated a formal process to remove all of his brother's titles and honors.

The former Prince and Duke of York will now be known simply as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. A formal notice has been served for him to surrender the lease on Royal Lodge, his home for two decades.

Upon his eventual departure, Andrew will relocate to an undisclosed private property on the King's sprawling Sandringham estate in Norfolk. The move will be privately funded by the monarch, who will also make separate financial provisions for his brother.

The King's dramatic action was reportedly taken in light of Andrew's serious lapses of judgement and was supported by the wider Royal Family. Public opinion appears to align with the decision, with a YouGov poll indicating that 79% of people supported the removal of his titles.

The move came as fresh US court documents revealed a 2010 email in which Andrew told Epstein it would be good to catch up in person after the latter's release from prison for soliciting prostitution from a minor.The decision has been described as long overdue by Gloria Allred, a lawyer who has represented Epstein's victims. Virginia Giuffre's family said she had brought down a prince but that the action was not enough, calling for Andrew to be investigated.

Andrew has consistently denied all allegations of wrongdoing, including those made by Ms. Giuffre, with whom he settled a civil case for millions in 2022.

Despite being stripped of his titles and royal residence, Andrew remains eighth in the line of succession. Government officials have stated there are no current plans to pass the complex legislation required to formally remove him from the line to the throne.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar