Prince Andrew’s fall from grace: A timeline

Loss of military roles and royal patronages marks a low point for Duke of York

Prince Andrew during a commemorative ceremony  in Brugge, Belgium,  in 2019. Photograph: Julien Warnand/EPA
Prince Andrew during a commemorative ceremony in Brugge, Belgium, in 2019. Photograph: Julien Warnand/EPA

The stripping of Prince Andrew's military roles and royal patronages marks a nadir for Queen Elizabeth's second son, since sexual assault accusations arose amid concern over his relationship with the convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. It's a fall from grace for the 61-year-old, who was once second-in-line to the throne.

February 19th, 1960: Prince Andrew is born at Buckingham Palace, becoming the first child born to a reigning monarch since Princess Beatrice to Queen Victoria.

1979: Andrew joins the Royal Navy as a trainee helicopter pilot. He studies at Dartmouth naval college and completes Royal Marines courses.

1982: The prince serves in the Falklands war, after Argentinian forces invade the British overseas territory in the south Atlantic. He served on HMS Invincible as a Sea King helicopter co-pilot.

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1984: Andrew is promoted to lieutenant, and the queen makes him her personal aide-de-camp. He serves aboard HMS Brazen as a flight pilot until 1986.

July 1986: Thousands line streets in central London as Andrew marries Sarah Ferguson at Westminster Abbey, and on the same day the queen makes him Duke of York, Earl of Inverness and Baron Killyleagh. They have two daughters, Princess Beatrice, born in August 1988 and Princess Eugenie, born in March 1990.

Prince Andrew, Duke of York with Sarah Ferguson after their engagement announcement at Buckingham Palace in 1986. Photograph: John Shelley Collection/Avalon/Getty Images
Prince Andrew, Duke of York with Sarah Ferguson after their engagement announcement at Buckingham Palace in 1986. Photograph: John Shelley Collection/Avalon/Getty Images

March 1992: He and Sarah Ferguson announce they are to separate. Divorce is finalised in May 1996, although the two remain close.

1999: Andrew is reportedly introduced to Epstein, an investment banker and financier, through a mutual friend, Ghislaine Maxwell – the daughter of the late media tycoon Robert Maxwell. A photograph that comes to light during Maxwell's 2021 trial for sex trafficking shows her and Epstein at the queen's Balmoral residence that year.

2000: Epstein, Maxwell and Andrew are seen at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Florida. Later that year, Epstein and Maxwell attend a joint birthday party at Windsor Castle hosted by the queen, and the prince throws a shooting weekend for Maxwell's birthday.

March 2001: According to Virginia Giuffre, Andrew sexually assaults her at Maxwell's home in Belgravia, London and also twice more, at Epstein's New York home and at an "orgy" on his private island in the Caribbean when she was 17. The allegation has prompted a comprehensive denial from the Duke of York.

Prince Andrew and  Virginia Roberts (now Giuffre) at Ghislaine Maxwell’s home in London in 2001. Prince Andrew’s supporters claim the photo is fake. Photograph: Virginia Giuffre
Prince Andrew and Virginia Roberts (now Giuffre) at Ghislaine Maxwell’s home in London in 2001. Prince Andrew’s supporters claim the photo is fake. Photograph: Virginia Giuffre

July 2001: Andrew retires from the Royal Navy as commander. He was later given a promotion to rear admiral in 2010 and vice admiral in 2015.

The government appoints him as special representative for international trade and investment. He represents the UK at trade fairs and conferences around the world.

December 2010: The prince visits Epstein in New York, after his release from prison for pleading guilty to prostituting minors. They are photographed walking through Central Park.

May 2010: Sarah Ferguson is filmed by a tabloid reporter claiming the prince would meet a donor and pass on business contacts if she received £500,000.

July 2011: Andrew quits his trade envoy role after a furore about him visiting Epstein in New York after he had been jailed for sexual offences. Ferguson also admits accepting money from Epstein to pay off debts.

April 2015: Allegations that Andrew had sex with Giuffre emerge in court documents in Florida related to Epstein. They say she was forced to have sex with him when she was 17, which is under the age of consent under Florida law. Buckingham Palace denies the allegations.

August 2019: Epstein is found dead in his jail cell after being re-arrested and charged with sex trafficking.

November 2019: Andrew steps back from public duties "for the foreseeable future" after a disastrous BBC TV interview where he claims he could not have had sex with Giuffre because he was at home after a visit to Pizza Express in Woking, that her description of his dancing with her beforehand could not be true because he was unable to sweat and that he had "no recollection of ever meeting this lady".

January 12th, 2022: A New York judge rejects the prince's attempts to throw out a sexual abuse civil lawsuit brought against him by Giuffre.

January 13th, 2022: The queen strips her son of a range of military affiliations and royal patronages after more than 150 veterans write to describe their "upset and anger". – Guardian