Who Is Prince Andrew? What to Know About the Disgraced Royal — And Where He Stands in the Royal Family Now

Prince Andrew — the son of the late Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip — spent the first 22 years of his life as second in line to the throne, behind his brother King Charles. Now, the Duke of York is no longer a working royal — and has spent recent years battling the fallout from his former friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Prince Andrew's fall from grace started in 2010 due to his alleged connections to Epstein, but the heat was turned up exponentially in 2015 when he was named in a civil suit against Epstein. In the lawsuit, a woman later identified as Virginia Giuffre (formerly Roberts) claimed she was ordered by Epstein to have sex with Prince Andrew on three separate occasions when she was 17 years old. Later, in 2021, Giuffre filed a lawsuit against the Duke of York over alleged non-consensual sexual encounters — claims Prince Andrew has repeatedly denied.

"I have no recollection of ever meeting this lady, none whatsoever," Epstein said in his now-infamous 2019 BBC interview. "It just never happened." In April 2024, the negotiator and producer who secured the bombshell interview, Sam McAlister, premiered a Netflix movie based on the events, called Scoop.

But before Prince Andrew's name was ever tied to Epstein's, the royal enjoyed a decorated career in the Royal Navy, even serving in the Falklands War. Outside of his military service, Prince Andrew was married to his wife Sarah Ferguson for six years before separating in 1992. The former couple remained amicable, living in the same house and raising their daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie together.

"He is the best man I know," the Duchess of York told Vogue Arabia about her ex-husband in 2019. "It's just incredible what he has done for Britain, and it's all nonsense, so I talk about familyhood, and I'm very strong about it."

From his childhood to his controversies and current royal status, here is everything to know about Prince Andrew, Queen Elizabeth's son and King Charles' younger brother.

He is the third child — and second son — of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip

Born on Feb. 19, 1960, at Buckingham Palace, Prince Andrew was the first child born to a reigning monarch (his mother, Queen Elizabeth, was crowned in 1953) in 103 years. He joined older siblings Charles — who, as the oldest child, was the heir apparent to the throne — and Princess Anne. Andrew's younger brother, Prince Edward, was later born in 1964.

Prince Andrew first attended Heatherdown Preparatory School, which counts former British Prime Minister David Cameron as one of its former students. He was later educated at Gordonstoun boarding school in Scotland, where both his father and older brother Charles had also attended.

"I was unfortunate enough in my early days at Gordonstoun not to realize the rules of the house, which were that you weren't allowed in the girls' house," he explained during a 1980s TV interview.

"I was unfortunately caught going through a door in the girls' house saying hello to somebody and it stuck. Not many people use it nowadays, I don't think that it actually fits today anyway," the royal added.

He spent 22 years in the Royal Navy as a helicopter pilot and served in the Falklands War

According to Buckingham Palace, Prince Andrew wanted to be a helicopter pilot since he was a child. After finishing boarding school, he joined the Royal Navy in 1979 and spent the next two years completing flight training. In 1981, Prince Andrew received his "wings" and the best pilot award from his father, Prince Philip.

Andrew served as a helicopter pilot on the Royal Navy ship the HMS Invincible, which was sent to the Falkland Islands in April 1982 after Argentina invaded the British territory. During the 10-week war, Prince Andrew flew several missions, including anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, search and rescue and casualty evacuation. When the Invincible returned to Britain following the war in September 1982, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip were there to greet their son.

In a since-deleted Instagram post from April 2022, Prince Andrew revealed that serving in the Falklands War "changed" him as a man. "So whilst I think back to a day when a young man went to war, full of bravado, I returned a changed man," he wrote in the deleted post. "I put away childish things and false bravado and returned a man full in the knowledge of human frailty and suffering."

Prince Andrew retired from the Royal Navy in July 2001 after 22 years of active service. When he left, he was ranked Commander, according to Buckingham Palace.

He wed Sarah Ferguson in 1986 — but the couple split in 1992

Though Andrew and Ferguson had known each other since they were toddlers (their fathers played polo together), it wasn't until Princess Diana — who was Fergie's close friend from the time they were teenagers — set them up in 1985 that the two began dating. Diana had Fergie added to the guest list of a party held that summer by the Queen during the Royal Ascot.

"We were made to sit next to each other," Andrew said of Diana's matchmaking in their engagement interview. "It was at Ascot, as it were, that the whole thing took off."

The two were engaged nine months later, and in July 1986, Prince Andrew and Ferguson wed at Westminster Abbey. They were given the titles the Duke and Duchess of York by the Queen as a wedding gift.

"We married for total love. And when I went up that aisle, I had — I married my man," Fergie told Piers Morgan in 2011.

However, due to the demands of Andrew's naval career, the couple separated in March 1992 after nearly six years of marriage. In 1996, they divorced so that Fergie could have a career of her own.

"I didn't want a divorce but had to because of circumstance. I wanted to work; it's not right for a princess of the royal house to be commercial, so Andrew and I decided to make the divorce official so I could go off and get a job," Fergie told Harper's Bazaar.

Prince Andrew has two daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie

Prince Andrew and Fergie share two daughters together: Princess Beatrice, born in August 1988, and Princess Eugenie, born in March 1990. Though Andrew and Fergie split when the girls were young, they raised their daughters together, with Fergie continuing to live at the family's home — the Royal Lodge at Windsor — following their separation.

"We're very happy with the way things are," Fergie explained in a 2016 interview for an Australian radio station. "I think the great thing is we absolutely are the most extraordinary example of a unified family."

Both Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie are now married. Eugenie wed Jack Brooksbank in October 2018, then Princess Beatrice wed Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in July 2020 during a quiet ceremony in Windsor attended by just 20 guests, including the Queen, due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Andrew is also a grandfather to Eugenie's son August and Beatrice's daughter Sienna and stepson Christopher Woolf. Another grandchild is expected in summer 2023, as Princess Eugenie is pregnant with her second child.

Prince Andrew's connections to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were first exposed in late 2010

Andrew's friendship with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein first came under fire in late 2010, when photographs of the two walking in Central Park surfaced — after Epstein had served jail time for having sex with a minor.

In the spring of 2011, more connections between the royal and Epstein surfaced. The Evening Standard reported that Andrew had previously stayed at Epstein's homes in Florida and Manhattan. Additionally, it was revealed that Ferguson, Andrew's ex-wife, received a $24,500 loan from Epstein — and that the payment was reportedly orchestrated by Andrew's office.

"I am just so contrite I cannot say," Fergie said at the time. "Whenever I can, I will repay the money and will have nothing to do with Jeffrey Epstein ever again."

As a result of the fallout from his ties to Epstein, Prince Andrew stepped down as trade envoy in July 2011, The Guardian reported — a role he had held for a decade.

In January 2015, he was accused of having coerced sex with a Florida teen who was allegedly trafficked by Epstein

In a Florida civil suit filed against Epstein, a woman later identified as Virginia Giuffre alleged that the disgraced billionare forced her to have sex with Prince Andrew on three separate occasions, per to court papers obtained by PEOPLE.

According to the lawsuit, Giuffre was 17 at the time, and her alleged encounters with Andrew occurred in London, New York and Epstein's private Caribbean island. Giuffre also claimed that Epstein told her "to give the prince whatever he demanded" and to "report back on the details."

A statement from the palace called the claims against Prince Andrew "categorically untrue." Later that same month, Andrew spoke out for the first time since news of the allegations broke at a reception he hosted at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. There, he told the 200 guests in attendance, "my focus is on my work."

In April 2015, a Florida judge ruled that the accusations of sexual misconduct against Prince Andrew were "lurid" and "unnecessary" to decide the civil case against Epstein.

In November 2019, Prince Andrew gave a "no holds barred" BBC interview about his relationship with Epstein

Following Epstein's suicide in August 2019 while awaiting trial on multiple sex charges, Prince Andrew gave a "no holds barred" interview to BBC's Newsnight about his former friendship with the convicted sex offender.

In the interview, Andrew revealed that he regretted his friendship with Epstein — which dated back to 1999 — particularly after Epstein had been convicted of soliciting a minor for prostitution. "That's the bit that ... I kick myself for on a daily basis," he told Emily Maitlis, who was played by Gillian Anderson in Scoop, the film based on the process of securing the interview. "It was not something that was becoming of a member of the Royal family ... I let the side down."

Prince Andrew went on to state that he had "no recollection" of ever meeting Giuffre. "It just never happened," he told Maitlis about the alleged encounters with Giuffre. Andrew also said he had "no memory" of a 2001 photograph of himself and Giuffre and questioned its authenticity, denied he "sweated profusely" while dancing with her because of a medical condition that made it impossible for him to perspire and said that he was "home with the children" during one of the supposed encounters.

Immediately after the explosive interview, which was approved by the Queen, the prince faced public backlash and announced he was stepping back from his royal duties.

"It has become clear to me over the last few days that the circumstances relating to my former association with Jeffrey Epstein has become a major disruption to my family's work and the valuable work going on in the many organisations and charities that I am proud to support," he said in the statement.

"Therefore, I have asked Her Majesty if I may step back from public duties for the foreseeable future, and she has given her permission."

Five years after the fall-out, Scoop was released — the film, with heavy input from the actual producer, McAlister, chronicled the week leading up to and a few days after the events of the interview. The Netflix movie starred Anderson, Billie Piper as McAlister and Rufus Sewell as Prince Andrew.

Giuffre sued Prince Andrew in August 2021 to hold him "accountable" for his alleged sexual abuse

Giuffre filed a lawsuit against Prince Andrew in August 2021 in New York. According to a statement provided to PEOPLE, Giuffre said: "Today my attorney filed suit against Prince Andrew for sexual abuse under the Child Victims Act. As the suit lays out in detail, I was trafficked to him and sexually abused by him."

Giuffre continued, "I am holding Prince Andrew accountable for what he did to me. The powerful and rich are not exempt from being held responsible for their actions. I hope that other victims will see that it is possible not to live in silence and fear, but to reclaim one's life by speaking out and demanding justice."

At the first hearing, which was held virtually in September 2021, lawyers for Prince Andrew called the lawsuit "baseless, non-viable and potentially unlawful." In January 2022, his lawyers filed a motion to dismiss the case after it was revealed that Giuffre had settled with Epstein in 2009. In the settlement, Giuffre received $500,000 and agreed not to sue any other "potential defendant." However, the judge rejected the motion — meaning Prince Andrew would potentially have to face trial later in the year.

Queen Elizabeth stripped Prince Andrew of his royal and military titles in January 2022

In the midst of Giuffre's sexual assault lawsuit against Prince Andrew, Buckingham Palace revealed that Andrew would no longer hold any royal or military titles.

"With The Queen's approval and agreement, The Duke of York's military affiliations and Royal patronages have been returned to The Queen," the palace announced one day after a judge rejected to throw out the lawsuit against Prince Andrew. "The Duke of York will continue not to undertake any public duties and is defending this case as a private citizen."

The decision was "widely discussed" by the senior members of the royal family, a source told PEOPLE, which most likely included Queen Elizabeth, King Charles and Prince William. As part of the decision, Andrew retained his title as Duke of York but could no longer use "His Royal Highness" in any capacity — similar to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle following their February 2020 decision to step down as royals.

Prince Andrew settled with Giuffre out of court in February 2022

In February 2022, Prince Andrew settled the sexual assault case brought by Giuffre against him out of court for an undisclosed amount.

According to a joint statement from the attorneys, "Prince Andrew intends to make a substantial donation to Ms. Giuffre's charity in support of victims' rights. Prince Andrew has never intended to malign Ms. Giuffre's character, and he accepts that she has suffered both as an established victim of abuse and as a result of unfair public attacks."

The statement continued: "It is known that Jeffrey Epstein trafficked countless young girls over many years. Prince Andrew regrets his association with Epstein, and commends the bravery of Ms. Giuffre and other survivors in standing up for themselves and others. He pledges to demonstrate his regret for his association with Epstein by supporting the fight against the evils of sex trafficking, and by supporting its victims."

Attorney Sigrid McCawley, a lawyer for Giuffre, added in a statement to PEOPLE that she was "very pleased with the resolution of Virginia Giuffre's litigation against Prince Andrew."

The settlement — which The Telegraph reported was upwards of $16 million and was allegedly paid for in part by the Queen — did not affect the palace's prior decision to revoke Andrew's military and royal titles.

Despite his fall from grace, Queen Elizabeth had Andrew escort her into Westminster Abbey during Prince Philip's March 2022 memorial service. "It shows she wholeheartedly loves and believes her son," royal commentator Robert Jobson said, adding, "She has faith in Andrew."

Prince Andrew attended King Charles' coronation

Prince Andrew attended the coronation of his older brother King Charles on May 6, 2023, although he had no formal role in the process. He wore blue robes with a red sash for the event.

Despite being stripped of his royal patronages and military affiliations in 2022, the Duke of York has continued to join members of the royal family at certain family and holiday events. In September 2022, he was present at all of Queen Elizabeth's funeral proceedings, wearing a suit (and not a military uniform like his siblings) with the exception of her final vigil. Andrew was also spotted at both Christmas in Sandringham in December 2022 and at the traditional Easter Sunday service in Windsor in April 2023.

His former wife Fergie wants to continue to see Andrew "rebuild" his life. "With Prince Andrew, he's such a good man," she said on Good Morning Britain in April 2023. "He's a kind, good man, and I think the spotlight needs to come off of him and let him get on with his life to rebuild."

Where is Prince Andrew now?

In January 2024, court documents related to a lawsuit involving Epstein were unsealed and Prince Andrew was among those named. But despite calls for an investigation into Andrew's part in the allegations by anti-monarchy group Republic, police have said they have no plans to look further into the situation at this time.

"We are aware of the release of court documents in relation to Jeffrey Epstein. As with any matter, should new and relevant information be brought to our attention we will assess it. No investigation has been launched," said a statement from Metropolitan Police on Jan. 5, according to Sky News.

There were also questions from the public about the potential of King Charles stripping Prince Andrew of his title, Duke of York. Shortly after the documents were unsealed, the royal blog Gert's Royals shared insight into the legal proceedings necessary to take a royal's title.

"Parliament can remove titles. But they will find it difficult in this case. The legislative branch (Parliament) or executive branch (Honors Forfeiture Committee) don’t have the powers to decide if someone is guilty of a crime," the blog wrote on X (formerly Twitter). "Since there have never been any charges or conviction against Prince Andrew, in the eyes of the U.K. government, he is innocent."