Buckingham Palace will hope that this will be seen as a decisive intervention, ending the drip-drip of scandal.
The King was in Scotland when Andrew made his decision on giving up his titles and reportedly spoke to his brother on the phone.
He had consulted Prince William, who has all the warmth of an ice age for his uncle Andrew. When William is eventually on the throne, Andrew’s royal appearances might be reduced from rare to never.
It had been William who had already intervened to stop Andrew from walking in the Order of the Garter procession.
There has been a colossal loss of reputation for Prince Andrew and he’ll keenly feel no longer being able to use the Duke of York title and to take part in the Order of the Garter. He’s become a persona non-garter.
It’s a deep blow to his pride. But on a day-to-day basis, he’s still a prince and he’s still living in a mansion in Windsor. Royal Lodge has got a lease until 2078, so if he leaves it will be his own choice.
Living with him still will be his ex-wife, who is now also an ex-duchess. They’ve gone back to the position when they first met, Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew.
His downfall has been driven by his links with the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. But while Andrew has lost his status, if he ever looks at the infamous photo of him and Virginia Giuffre, everyone else in the picture – Ms Giuffre, Ghislaine Maxwell – and the person who was claimed to have taken it – Epstein – are either dead or in prison. The prince is the only one who has walked away.
He can still spend his days watching aviation videos or TV shows. His family life with his daughters, who are still princesses, can continue unchanged.
His statement about not using his titles, more or less a resignation letter, didn’t have any flicker of remorse, continuing to assert his sense of duty and honour. So no change there.