Queen Elizabeth Tried to ‘Soften the Blow’ of Son Andrew Losing His Titles, But He ‘Felt Blindsided’

Queen Elizabeth II wanted to be the one to break the news to her son, Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, that she was taking away his titles, according to a new book.

After Andrew’s connection to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was called into question, he stepped down from official royal duties in 2019, while repeatedly denying any wrongdoing. However in 2022, “the Palace power brokers decided enough was enough” and urged the sovereign to strip Andrew of his military titles and patronages,” royal author Robert Jobson writes in The Windsor Legacy, according to an article published by the Daily Mail on Wednesday, January 14.

“The Queen arranged to have a private one-to-one meeting with him to soften the blow,” Jobson explains, but palace officials “intervened” and Private Secretary Sir Edward Young and Financial Secretary Sir Michael Stevens attended the meeting.

“The two senior courtiers told the Queen it was imperative that they witnessed the conversation,” Jobson writes in the book, which was released on January 6. “Andrew understandably felt blindsided, though this was far from her intention, as sources close to her confirmed.”

Jobson also describes the meeting that took place before the public announcement in 2022 as a “painful moment for both mother and son.”

“In her final days, she kept him close, shielding him as palace insiders continued to push for his total exile,” Jobson adds, noting that after Elizabeth’s death in September 2022, Andrew “lost his strongest ally.”

As Examiner previously reported, Buckingham Palace issued an official statement on behalf of Andrew’s brother, King Charles II, in October 2025, stating that Andrew had been stripped of all his royal titles. Andrew has also agreed to move out of the royal lodge sometime in 2026.