King Charles III says his brother, Prince Andrew, will be stripped of his royal titles and kicked out of his royal home following widespread outrage in the United Kingdom surrounding allegations about his connections to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. 

In a statement Thursday, Buckingham Palace said, “His Majesty has today initiated a formal process to remove the Style, Title and Honours of Prince Andrew. 

“Prince Andrew will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor,” the statement said. 

It added that he will be forced to surrender his lease on the Royal Lodge and have to find an “alternative private accommodation.”

“These censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him,” Buckingham Palace said. “Their Majesties wish to make clear that their thoughts and utmost sympathies have been, and will remain with, the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse.”

Earlier this month, Andrew renounced his Duke of York title after passages from Virginia Giuffre’s posthumous memoir were released. Giuffre, who died by suicide in April, said that she was sex trafficked by Epstein and had sex with Andrew while she was a minor. 

Flight records from May 2000 show Andrew flew with Epstein to Florida.

In a statement Thursday, Giuffre’s family welcomed the news about Prince Andrew.

“Today, an ordinary American girl from an ordinary American family, brought down a British prince with her truth and extraordinary courage,” the family said. “We, her family, along with her survivor sisters, continue Virginia’s battle and will not rest until the same accountability applies to all of the abusers and abettors connected to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.”

Andrew has denied the allegations against him, but said he felt he had to “go a step further” and renounce his title and honors. 

The allegations against Andrew have become a major issue in Great Britain. During a visit to Lichfield Cathedral at Staffordshire on Monday, a protester heckled King Charles, asking, “How long have you known about Andrew and Epstein? Have you asked the police to cover up for Andrew?”

A group that hopes to “achieve the abolition of the British monarchy in favor of a democratic republic,” shared the video on X and called for a “Royal Epstein inquiry.”

The allegations against Andrew have apparently roiled a majority of Britons. According to a YouGov poll released Thursday, 91 percent of Britons have a negative opinion of Andrew, the highest ever recorded by the pollster. 

In August, 87 percent of Britons had a negative view. Those who say they view Andrew “very negatively” increased from 69 percent to 81 percent compared to the last poll. Just 4 percent of Britons say they have a favorable view of him. 

Despite a record unfavorability rating for Andrew, YouGov notes “there’s no knock-on effect to the other royals.” Sixty-two percent of Britons say they have a positive view of King Charles, up from 59 percent in August. 

However, the public appears divided on how he has handled the Andrew matter, with 40 percent saying he has managed it well and 32 percent saying he has managed it poorly.

The poll was conducted before the decision to strip Andrew of his titles and residence was announced.