London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Nov 05, 2025

Prince Andrew faces calls to pay for his own security

Prince Andrew faces calls to pay for his own security

Growing clamour for royal to lose dukedom and taxpayer-funded Scotland Yard security detail

The Duke of York faces calls to pay for his own security and relinquish his dukedom after being stripped of his military affiliations and royal patronages in the fallout over the civil sexual assault case against him.

The calls come as his accuser, Virginia Giuffre, welcomed the New York court ruling that paved the way for her lawsuit against Prince Andrew to proceed to trial, as she pledged to “continue to expose the truth”.

Prince Charles – who, with Prince William, was reportedly key to the Queen making her decision on Andrew’s future – ignored questions about his brother while on an engagement in Scotland.


With Andrew prevented from using his HRH style in any official capacity and banned from royal duties, calls were growing for him to lose his taxpayer-funded Scotland Yard security and his title Duke of York.

Rachael Maskell, the Labour MP for York Central, tweeted it was “untenable” for Andrew to cling on to his title “another day longer”, and Darryl Smalley, a senior member of City of York council, launched a campaign to strip Andrew of his dukedom.


The security minister, Damian Hinds, refused to confirm whether taxpayers would continue to fund Andrew’s security arrangements, telling LBC: “Our security forces, the police and others, do what they judge is necessary to protect our country, to protect people in it.” It was a “longstanding and I think correct principle that we don’t talk about who and how in particular”, he added.

Andrew has made clear he intends to continue to fight to clear his name over allegations made by Giuffre, 38, that she was forced into having sex with him when she was 17 and had been trafficked by the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. He vehemently denies the allegations. A source close to the duke said on Thursday: “This is a marathon not a sprint and the duke will continue to defend himself against these claims.”

As a senior royal, he has round-the-clock Scotland Yard protection. Security costs are never discussed by Buckingham Palace or the Metropolitan police. But it has been reportedly estimated that the annual cost to the taxpayer of guarding Andrew could be up to £2m.

Graham Smith, of the campaign group Republic, questioned whether the taxpayer should fund security for any royals except the head of state. Of Andrew, he said: “Given that he’s no longer in any real sense a member of the royal household it does make sense he pays for his own security.”

The question of taxpayer-funded security for non-working royals was last raised when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped down. When Harry and Meghan made public their decision early last year, their website suggested that the Home Office, through the Metropolitan police, should continue to provide protection for the couple and their young son, Archie. The Sussexes later signed multimillion-pound deals with Netflix and Spotify, with the duke telling Oprah Winfrey he had secured them to pay for his security.

The former Home Office minister and royal author Norman Baker said: “[Andrew] has, like Harry, kept his HRH even if he is not using it. But that means he still qualifies to spend public money and qualifies for security. He is no longer carrying out royal duties, so should have the HRH taken away along with his security.” Baker also called for him to have his dukedom revoked.

As Andrew faces mounting legal bills, it is not known if the Queen is assisting him with these privately. He receives an allowance from the Queen from her Duchy of Lancaster estate and may benefit from personal investments and bequests from family members. He also has a modest naval pension.

He lives in the grace-and-favour Royal Lodge at Windsor and is now in the process of selling a ski chalet he co-owns with his ex-wife, Sarah, Duchess of York. He sold his former marital home, Sunninghill Park near Windsor, which was a wedding gift from the Queen, in 2007 to the son-in-law of the former ruler of Kazakhstan for £15m, £3m over the asking price.

The duke’s daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, received official protection until 2011 but now must foot the bill themselves.

Giuffre has praised Wednesday’s court ruling that rejected legal arguments by Andrew’s lawyer to have her case against him dismissed. She wrote on Twitter that she was pleased with the ruling, adding: “I’m glad I will have the chance to continue to expose the truth & I am deeply grateful to my extraordinary legal team.

“Their determination helps me seek justice from those who hurt me and so many others. My goal has always been to show that the rich and powerful are not above the law & must be held accountable.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Massive Spoilers Emerge from MAFS UK 2025: Couple Swaps, Dating App Leaks and Reunion Bombshells
Kurdish-led Crime Network Operates UK Mini-Marts to Exploit Migrants and Sell Illicit Goods
UK Income Tax Hike Could Trigger £1 Billion Cut to Scotland’s Budget, Warns Finance Secretary
Tommy Robinson Acquitted of Terror-related Charge After Phone PIN Dispute
Boris Johnson Condemns Western Support for Hamas at Jewish Community Conference
HII Welcomes UK’s Westley Group to Strengthen AUKUS Submarine Supply Chain
Tragedy in Serbia: Coach Mladen Žižović Collapses During Match and Dies at 44
Diplo Says He Dated Katy Perry — and Justin Trudeau
Dick Cheney, Former U.S. Vice President, Dies at 84
Trump Calls Title Removal of Andrew ‘Tragic Situation’ Amid Royal Fallout
UK Bonds Rally as Chancellor Reeves Briefs Markets Ahead of November Budget
UK Report Backs Generational Smoking Ban Ahead of Tobacco & Vapes Bill Review
UK’s Domino’s Pizza Group Reports Modest Like-for-Like Sales Growth in Q3
UK Supplies Additional Storm Shadow Missiles to Ukraine as Trump Alleges Russian Underground Nuclear Tests
High-Profile Broodmare Puca Sells for Five Million Dollars at Fasig-Tipton ‘Night of the Stars’
Wilt Chamberlain’s One-of-a-Kind ‘Searcher 1’ Supercar Heads to Auction
Erling Haaland’s Remarkable Run: 13 Premier League Goals in 10 Matches and Eyes on History
UK Labour Peer Warns of Emerging ‘Constituency for Hating Jews’ in Britain
UK Home Secretary Admits Loss of Border Control, Warns Public Trust at Risk
President Trump Expresses Sympathy for UK Royal Family After Title Stripping of Prince Andrew
Former Prince Andrew to Lose His Last Military Title as King Charles Moves to End His Public Role
King Charles Relocates Andrew to Sandringham Estate and Strips Titles Amid Epstein Fallout
Two Arrested After Mass Stabbing on UK Train Leaves Ten Hospitalised
Glamour UK Says ‘Stay Mad Jo x’ After Really Big Rowling Backlash
Former Prince Prince Andrew Faces Possible U.S. Congressional Appearance Over Jeffrey Epstein Inquiry
UK Faces £20 Billion Productivity Shortfall as Brexit’s Impact Deepens
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Eyes New Council-Tax Bands for High-Value Homes
UK Braces for Major Storm with Snow, Heavy Rain and Winds as High as 769 Miles Wide
U.S. Secures Key Southeast Asia Agreements to Reshape Rare Earth Supply Chains
US and China Agree One-Year Trade Truce After Trump-Xi Talks
BYD Profit Falls 33 % as Chinese EV Maker Doubles Down on Overseas Markets
US Philanthropists Shift Hundreds of Millions to UK to Evade Regulatory Uncertainty in Trump Era
Israeli Energy Minister Delays $35 Billion Gas Export Agreement with Egypt
King Charles Strips Prince Andrew of Titles and Royal Residence
Trump–Putin Budapest Summit Cancelled After Moscow Memo Raises Conditions for Ukraine Talks
Amazon Shares Soar 11% as Cloud Business Hits Fastest Growth Since 2022
Credit Markets Flooded with More Than $200 Billion of AI-Linked Debt Issuance
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent Says China Made 'a Real Mistake' by Threatening Rare-Earth Exports
Report Claims Nearly Two Billion Dollars in Foreign Charity Funds Flowed into U.S. Advocacy Groups
White House Refutes Reports That US Targeting Military Sites in Venezuela
Meta Seeks Dismissal of Strike 3’s $350 Million Copyright Lawsuit
Apple Exceeds Forecasts With $102.5 Billion Q3 Revenue Despite iPhone Miss
Israel's IDF Major General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi Admits to Act Amounting to Aiding Hamas During Wartime (Treason)
Shawbrook IPO Marks London’s Biggest UK Listing in Two Years
UK Government Split Over Backing Brazil’s $125 Billion Tropical Forest Fund Ahead of COP30
J.K. Rowling Condemns Glamour UK Feature of Nine Trans Women as 'Men Better at Being Women'
King Charles III Removes Prince Andrew’s Titles and Orders His Departure from Royal Lodge
UK Finance Minister Reeves Releases Email Correspondence to Clarify Rental-Licence Breach
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
×