Andrew Mountbatten Windsor

Biography

Andrew Albert Christian Edward Mountbatten-Windsor (born 19 February 1960), formerly Prince Andrew, Duke of York, is a member of the House of Windsor and 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 2026.

Andrew served in the Royal Navy from 1979 to 2001. He saw active duty as a helicopter pilot during the Falklands War. He later became a helicopter instructor and commanded a warship. He married Sarah Ferguson in 1986, and was created Duke of York on their wedding day. They had two daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie, before separating in 1992 and divorcing in 1996. From 2001 to 2011, Andrew served as the UK's Special Representative for International Trade and Investment, but resigned following scrutiny of his expenses and associations with controversial figures. He continued to undertake official duties on behalf of Elizabeth II until 2019.

Andrew had a long‑standing association with Jeffrey Epstein, the American convicted sex offender, which has attracted widespread criticism. In 2014, Virginia Giuffre alleged that she had been sex-trafficked to Andrew by Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, after previously telling the Daily Mail in 2011 that she had no sexual contact with him. Andrew denied any wrongdoing, and in 2022 settled a civil lawsuit with Giuffre in the United States without admission of liability. In the same year, Elizabeth II removed his military affiliations and patronages, and he ceased using the style "Royal Highness". In 2025, Charles III removed Andrew's remaining royal styles and honours, and restricted his use of titles and peerages. He vacated Royal Lodge, part of the Crown Estate, and relocated to private accommodation on the Sandringham estate. In 2026, he was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.