King Charles has stripped Prince Andrew of his titles and honors and removed him from his residence, the Royal Lodge, over his links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Buckingham Palace announced on Thursday.

According to the official statement, a formal notice has already been served on Andrew to surrender the lease of the luxury mansion in Windsor Great Park, while he will move to a smaller scale private residence.

According to a statement from Buckingham, he will henceforth be referred to as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

Andrew, 65, younger brother of King Charles and second son of the late Queen Elizabeth, has been under increasing pressure of late over his links to stockbroker and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Earlier in the month, he was forced to stop using the title of Duke of York.

Charles now escalated measures against his brother, stripping him of all titles.

According to Buckingham Palace, he has been served with a formal notice to surrender the lease of the Royal Lodge mansion, located in the grounds of Windsor, west of London. He will move to another private residence in the east of England.

“These sanctions are deemed necessary, despite the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him,” the Palace statement said, adding: “Their Majesties wish to make clear that their thoughts and deepest sympathies remain with victims and survivors of all forms of abuse.”

The publication of Virginia Giuffre’s posthumous memoir, Nobody’s Girl, brought the accusations against Andrew back to the fore. Giuffre, whom the prince claims he has never met, claims he sexually abused her when she was a teenager.

A royal source said that although Andrew continues to deny the allegations, there have been serious failures. The decision was made by King Charles, with the support of the rest of the family, including the heir to the throne, Prince William.

In recent weeks, the British press has focused on Andrew’s finances after The Times reported that he has not paid rent on his 30-room home for two decades, despite reportedly spending more than £7.5m on renovations.

Indeed, on Wednesday, a parliamentary committee publicly questioned whether Andrew should still be living at the property, in a rare political intervention for a member of the royal family.

Buckingham’s announcement

Her Majesty today launched formal proceedings to strip Prince Andrew of his title and honours.

Prince Andrew will henceforth be known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. His lease of the Royal Lodge residence, which until today provided him with legal protection to continue his stay, has been formally terminated and he has received a formal notice to surrender. It will be transferred to a private residence.

These sanctions are deemed necessary, despite the fact that he continues to deny the charges against him.

Their Majesties wish to make it clear that their thoughts and deepest sympathies have been and remain with the victims and survivors of all forms of abuse.