Prince Andrew Sullied His Former Title, Duke of York, So Much That the 600-Year-Old Dukedom Will Likely “Disappear,” Says Royal Expert

As the fallout from the latest round of revelations about Prince Andrew's ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein continues, the disgraced royal has lost his royal honors and titles—including his "Prince" title, which Buckingham Palace declared very publicly in a release on Thursday, October 30, announcing that King Charles had "initiated a formal process to remove the Style, Titles and Honours of Prince Andrew," who "will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor"—and his longtime royal residence, Royal Lodge, the 30-room Windsor mansion he's lived in since 2003, which he is being evicted from, according to the Palace.

Even though the King's decision to strip Andrew of his titles and not permitting him to continue living in a property owned by the Crown Estate is a move that firmly distances the scandal-laden former prince from the monarchy going forward, some irreparable damage to the royal family's legacy has clearly already been done.

According to royal author Christopher Wilson, the casualties of Andrew's scandal probably includes an entire dukedom.

In a column for the Daily Mail, Wilson predicted a grim future for the Dukedom of York in the aftermath of Andrew's scandals.

"He's splattered mud all over a noble 600 year old title and ruined it for future generations," Wilson wrote. "The name Duke of York, first granted in 1385, has traditionally been reserved for the second son of the king. Now it will disappear, maybe for good."

Many royal fans have wondered in recent weeks if Prince Louis—Prince William's second son—will inherit the Duke of York title when his father becomes king, but Wilson doesn't think that's likely at this point.

"In time, seven-year-old Prince Louis might have inherited it on Andrew’s demise," the royal author wrote in his Daily Mail column. "But now the disgraced peerage will be stuck in a drawer, along with other royal dukedoms that have been sullied by their holder over the centuries."

Whatever the ultimate future of the Dukedom of York may prove to be, it is still, for the time being at least, attached to two members of the royal family: Andrew's daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, whose full titles, Wilson points out, still officially include "of York." Wilson suggests that could change, however, when William becomes king.

"The York moniker will live on—for the time being—in Andrew’s daughters, who style themselves Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie of York," he wrote. "But there’s no guarantee they will cling to those titles in future years when Prince William becomes king."