Friday’s papers are dominated by the news that Prince Andrew is being stripped of his “prince” title and will leave his Windsor mansion, Royal Lodge. It follows weeks of intense scrutiny over his links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The Sun dubs him “the Andrew formerly known as Prince” and says the move is “the price to be paid for 14 years of damage to the Royal Family’s reputation”. Andrew has denied all allegations made against him.
The Daily Star echoes the Sun with “the Royal formerly known as Prince”. He will now go by Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. “We can think of a few other names…” writes the Star.
The Guardian notes that the decision follows “anxiety” in the royal household over Andrew’s friendship with Epstein and allegations of sexual assault by one of Epstein’s most prominent accusers, Virginia Giuffre.
The Daily Telegraph says the decision was made late on Thursday after almost two weeks of negotiations with the wider family. An unnamed royal source tells the paper that it was clear there had been “serious lapses of judgement” from Andrew and “the necessity of further action was never in doubt”.
The Times says the royal has been “banished” to a “lonely life” in Sandringham, where he will be privately funded by the King. A palace source tells the paper that his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson is allowed to live there with him but is unlikely to join him.
Alongside a photo of Andrew, the Daily Mirror invites its readers to “Meet Mr Windsor” after he has “finally” been stripped of his title.
The Independent says Andrew has been “humiliated” after the King’s “bombshell decree”.
Andrew tops the Daily Express too, which says the King has removed the “style, titles and honours” from his brother.
The i paper describes it as a “historic move to save the monarchy”. The i also looks ahead to next month’s Budget, reporting that there will be “stealth” tax increases.
Andrew is pictured on the front page of the Daily Mail, but the paper’s lead story is the chancellor’s admission she failed to obtain the correct licence while renting out her London home. The paper says it is “humiliation” for Rachel Reeves as she “changes her story”. Reeves initially said she first became aware of it on Wednesday, but has since said she had found correspondence confirming that the letting agent had told her husband a licence would be required.
“Reeves house gaffe haunts Starmer” is Metro’s headline, captioning a photo of the property in question: “Doom with a view”.
And the Financial Times leads with the US-China trade “détente” after President Donald Trump described his meeting with Chinese Premier Xi Jinping as “12 out of 10”.
Andrew Mountbatten Windsor is “the Andrew formerly known as Prince”, according the Sun’s headline. Its “editorial says he has lied and obfuscated at every turn”, suggesting “there can be no place in public life for him now” and calling for him to “disappear from view for good”. The i paper calls Andrew “a stain on his family’s reputation” and calls his downfall the most dramatic since Edward VII abdicated in 1936. The Daily Express says “common sense has finally prevailed”.
The Times reports that Sarah Ferguson, Andrew’s ex-wife, is “unlikely” to move to Sandringham, bringing an end to 17 years of co-habitation for the former couple. It says she has been “rejected by the good causes she once championed,” and that “she too has now become a social pariah”. The Daily Mirror’s front page simply says “finally” beneath a photo of Andrew. The Daily Mail also has a one-word headline: “Banished”.
The Daily Telegraph says Andrew will be due financial compensation for the early ending of his lease, but notes that the cost of future renovations to Royal Lodge will be deducted from any payout. A royal source has told the paper that the Prince of Wales is “fully supportive” of the King’s actions.
Rachel Reeves is still on some front pages. The Telegraph says that the The Telegraph says the chancellor faces a potential bill of more than £38,000 after failing to obtain a licence from Southwark Council for renting out her family home. Regulations mean her tenants can claim back a year’s rent at an unlicensed property. The Mail reports that Reeves posted messages on social media in support of the local licence in her constituency in Leeds, despite not having obtained one herself in London. The Times says the chancellor was “tripped up by the very red tape she so vigorously applauded”.
The Guardian reports analysis from accountancy experts which claims Birmingham City Council was probably never bankrupt, and its decision to issue a section 114 notice two years ago was based on “unaudited and incorrect information”. The triggering of the notice triggered deep spending cuts and plans to sell hundreds of millions of pounds of assets.
