Andrew Albert Christian Edward Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew, Duke of York, is the third child and second son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and a younger brother of King Charles III. Andrew was born second in the line of succession to the British throne and is eighth as of 2025.
Andrew served in the Royal Navy between 1979 and 2001 as a helicopter pilot and instructor and as the captain of a warship. During the Falklands War he flew on multiple missions including anti-surface warfare, casualty evacuation and Exocet missile decoy. He married Sarah Ferguson in 1986, and was created Duke of York on his wedding day. They had two daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, before they separated in 1992 and divorced in 1996. Andrew served as the UK's Special Representative for International Trade and Investment from 2001 to 2011, resigning amidst scrutiny over his expenses and associations with figures including the American child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity. He continued to undertake official duties on behalf of Elizabeth II until 2019.
In 2014 Virginia Giuffre alleged that, as a 17-year-old, she had been sex-trafficked in the United States to Andrew by Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell; Maxwell was convicted of child sex trafficking in 2021. Andrew denied any wrongdoing, but amidst growing criticism of his association with Epstein and Maxwell he permanently stepped back from public roles in May 2020. Between August 2021 and February 2022 he was the defendant in a civil lawsuit over sexual assault filed by Giuffre in the United States. It was settled out of court, and Andrew paid an undisclosed sum to Giuffre without admission of liability. In January 2022 Elizabeth II removed his honorary military affiliations and royal charitable patronages, and he ceased using the style "His Royal Highness".
In October 2025, amidst ongoing controversy surrounding Andrew's association with Epstein, "a formal process" to remove his style, titles and honours was initiated by Charles III. Andrew will also leave his home, Royal Lodge, and relocate to a property on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk.
