Andrew keeps war medal as King Charles strips him of final titles

King Charles has allowed his brother, former Prince Andrew, to keep his Falklands War medal despite stripping him of all royal titles and honors.

The decision follows a major shake-up within the royal family that has officially reduced Andrew to a private citizen, now known simply as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.

According to The Telegraph, Defense Secretary John Healey confirmed on November 2 that Andrew’s honorary rank as vice admiral in the Royal Navy had been removed—his final link to his former royal status.

However, Buckingham Palace later announced on November 5 that the King had decided Andrew would be allowed to keep the medals he earned through active military service.

Andrew’s Falklands War medal is one of the few honors earned through his own service, not his royal status. He served 22 years in the Navy and flew as a Sea King co-pilot in the 1982 Falklands War.

For his efforts, he received the South Atlantic Medal with a rosette—an honor awarded to only about one in ten of the 33,000 British troops who served.

The decision to strip him of all royal honours comes after years of controversy surrounding Andrew’s association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and accusations of sexual assault by Virginia Giuffre—allegations he has consistently denied.

Though he settled Giuffre’s lawsuit in 2022 for an undisclosed sum, the scandal effectively ended his public life.

His mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, stripped him of his military affiliations and patronages that same year.