NEED TO KNOW

  • Queen Elizabeth had a special connection to her son’s, the former Prince Andrew, title as the Duke of York
  • The Duke of York is the traditional title for the monarch’s second son
  • King Charles recently stripped his younger brother of all royal titles and honors amid renewed interest in his ties to Jeffrey Epstein

The former Prince Andrew‘s most popular royal title was a sentimental one for Queen Elizabeth.

On Oct. 30, King Charles announced that he was stripping his younger brother of his royal titles and honors in a seismic move amid renewed scrutiny of Andrew’s alleged connections to Jeffrey Epstein, bringing the history of his Duke of York title into the headlines.

The Duke of York is the traditional royal title for the monarch’s second son and has been since 1474, according to British etiquette expert Debrett’s. 

It was the title used by Queen Elizabeth’s beloved father before his accession to the throne, creating an emotional connection as it became part of her name.

Lisa Sheridan/Studio Lisa/Hulton Archive/Getty

The future King George VI was the second son of King George V and was made the Duke of York in 1920. His wife, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, became the Duchess of York when they wed in 1923.

The couple was popularly known by those titles for the next 13 years, overlapping with the period in which their daughters, then-Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret, were born. 

During that time, the future monarch was called Princess Elizabeth of York, taking her parents’ titles as the basis for that styling. 

The family’s fate changed when King Edward VIII abdicated in 1936 and his younger brother acceded to the throne, putting the firstborn Princess Elizabeth on the path to reign one day. 

King George VI, Princess Margaret, Princess Elizabeth and Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother on the May 12, 1937 coronation day.
Hulton Archive/Getty

Queen Elizabeth was very close to her parents (and her father would affectionately refer to his wife and daughters as “we four”), and it was especially sentimental when she conferred the Duke of York title upon Andrew on his July 1986 wedding day. The Queen gave her second son the prestigious dukedom, along with the titles of Earl of Inverness and Baron Killyleagh, when he married Sarah Ferguson.

The couple separated in 1992 and divorced in 1996, but they would be widely known by those titles for almost 40 years. Their daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, have also used York as their surname in the royal family tradition, and a throwback photo shows a “Beatrice York” name tag on one of her schoolbags. 

Sarah Ferguson, Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice on Princess Eugenie’s first day at Upton School in Windsor in September 1994.

Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty 

On Oct. 17, the former Prince Andrew announced that he would no longer use his royal titles and honors, as it distracts from the work of King Charles and the rest of the royal family. 

King Charles launched the process of officially stripping his brother of that status on Oct. 30, and the transition was made official in a Letters Patent dated Nov. 3. 

PEOPLE understands that he will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. 

Prince Andrew and King Charles at the Duchess of Kent’s funeral at Westminster Cathedral on Sept. 16, 2025.

Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty

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Mountbatten-Windsor is the traditionally hyphenated surname for the direct descendants of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, bridging the lesser-known last names of both of their families. 

Beyond the fact that they were linked by the historical York title, it’s also thought that Queen Elizabeth and Andrew had an especially close bond.

Many believed he was her favorite child, perhaps backed by the fact that he retained his princely title after exiting his royal role in 2019.