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The former Duke of York is set to lose his honorary military rank as King Charles attempts to draw a line under the ongoing scandal involving his connections with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Removal Process Underway

The former prince faces removal of his military title of naval commander, which he received in 2015 and had retained even after giving up other military positions in 2022.

Defence Secretary John Healey announced on Sunday that ministers were working with the king to remove his naval honours.

"In general, the government has been guided by the rulings and determinations the king has made. In defence, it's exactly the same," Healey stated.

Additional Consequences

When questioned about Mountbatten Windsor could lose his military medals as well, Healey responded that they were "awards recognizing his military career" and added: "There's no current information on that, but similar to his naval title, we would be guided by the decisions the king makes."

Historical Circumstances

Mountbatten Windsor has been under renewed scrutiny over his ties to Epstein following the release of late-published recollections by Virginia Giuffre, who claims she was forced to have sex with Mountbatten Windsor on three occasions, including when she was 17 years old.

Newly released emails reveal that the ex-royal contacted Epstein in 2010 after the latter was released from jail on charges of sex trafficking.

In the correspondence released on Friday, the convicted sex offender proposed that Andrew meet former JP Morgan executive Jes Staley, who was banned from the UK banking sector for life in June for misleading the watchdog about his relationship with Epstein.

Military Service

Andrew served in the navy for more than two decades, including as a aircraft commander during the 1982 conflict. After a civil case was initiated three years ago, he stopped using most of his armed forces honors but retained the rank of vice-admiral.

The navy pension is his only current source of declared income after his service from 1979 and 2001, amounting to twenty thousand pounds annually.

Recent Developments

Buckingham Palace formally announced last week he would lose the titles of royal titles, as well as being required to vacate his residence at Royal Lodge and move into private accommodation in Sandringham.

Palace officials had worked with government employees in the Cabinet Office to prevent the decision having to be approved by lawmakers, finally deciding that the king should abolish the dukedom entirely using his powers of royal prerogative.

While the removal of honors takes effect right away, the former prince is not expected to leave Royal Lodge until following the holidays, meaning he will not be in attendance when the family convenes at Sandringham for the holiday.