Challenges in the Life of Prince Andrew, Duke of York in a Detailed Timeline

A closer look at the defining struggles that shaped Prince Andrew, Duke of York's life and career.

Prince Andrew, Duke of York, is a member of the British royal family, the third child and second son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. Formerly second in line to the throne, he is now eighth. He served in the Royal Navy as a helicopter pilot and instructor and saw active service during the Falklands War. His royal duties diminished following scrutiny over his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Allegations of sexual assault by Virginia Giuffre led to a legal settlement and his relinquishment of royal patronages and military titles. He has largely withdrawn from public life since then.

Sections (5)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals

July 1982: Alleged Assassination Plot

In July 1982, the Argentine military government reportedly planned to assassinate Andrew on Mustique, though the attempt was never carried out.

1983: Split from Koo Stark

In 1983, Andrew and Koo Stark split up due to pressure from the press, paparazzi, and palace.

1984: Prince Andrew squirted paint onto reporters

During his Southern California tour in 1984, Andrew squirted paint onto American and British journalists and photographers who were reporting on the tour. The Los Angeles Herald Examiner submitted a $1,200 bill to the British consulate asking for financial compensation.

March 1992: Announcement of Separation

On 19 March 1992, Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson announced plans to separate in an amicable way, which was attributed to Andrew's frequent travel and the relentless media attention focused on the Duchess of York.

1992: Separation from Sarah Ferguson

In 1992, Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson separated, attracting extensive media coverage.

May 1996: Divorce from Sarah Ferguson

On 30 May 1996, the marriage between Andrew and Sarah Ferguson ended in divorce.

1996: Maid bitten by dog

In 1996, Charlotte Briggs, told The Sun that when she was bitten by his Norfolk Terrier, Andrew laughed and "wasn't bothered".

1996: Divorce from Sarah Ferguson

In 1996, Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson's divorce was finalized, marking the end of their marriage.

2004: Criticism over Golfing Trips

In 2004, Andrew was criticised for flying to St Andrews on RAF planes for two golfing trips, leading to questions from Labour Co-op MP Ian Davidson to the NAO.

July 2009: Andrew present for the official opening ceremony of Banque Havilland

In July 2009, Andrew was present for the official opening ceremony of Banque Havilland. It has been alleged that Banque Havilland sought to service dictators and kleptocrats.

May 2010: News of the World sting

In May 2010, Sarah Ferguson was filmed by a News of the World reporter saying Andrew would meet a donor and pass on business contacts in exchange for £500,000. She was filmed receiving $40,000 as a down payment.

2010: Payment for Sunninghill Park

In 2010, it was revealed that Timur Kulibayev, President Nazarbayev's son-in-law, paid Andrew's representatives £15 million for his Surrey mansion, Sunninghill Park, which was £3 million over the asking price. It was later revealed that Andrew's office tried to get a crown estate property close to Kensington Palace for Kulibayev at that time.

February 2011: Suitability for trade envoy role questioned

In February 2011, Chris Bryant challenged Andrew's suitability for his UK Trade & Investment role in the House of Commons due to his relationships with Saif al-Islam Gaddafi and Tarek Kaituni.

March 2011: Prince Andrew Accused of Promoting Arms Trade

In March 2011, Kaye Stearman of the Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT) accused Prince Andrew of being the 'front man' for UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) and promoting the arms trade, potentially to despotic regimes.

March 2011: Report on Prince Andrew's Expenses

On 8 March 2011, The Daily Telegraph reported that Prince Andrew spent £620,000 as a trade envoy in 2010, including significant expenses on hotels, food, hospitality, and travel.

July 2011: Andrew steps down as UK Trade Envoy

In July 2011, Andrew stepped down from his role as the United Kingdom's Special Representative for International Trade and Investment due to controversies and his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

May 2012: Police investigation into Enviro Pacific Investments

In May 2012, Swiss and Italian police investigated Enviro Pacific Investments and its alleged involvement in international corruption related to energy companies dealing with Kazakhstan. The trust is believed to have paid £6 million towards the purchase of Sunninghill which now appears derelict.

2012: Apology for Epstein's Debt Payment

In 2012, Sarah Ferguson admitted that she had made a "gigantic error of judgement" in allowing Jeffrey Epstein to pay off a debt for her and apologised for accepting money from him. However, she defended Andrew's controversial friendship with Epstein.

January 2014: Prince Andrew's Delegation to Bahrain Criticized

In January 2014, Prince Andrew's participation in a delegation to Bahrain drew criticism from the Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT), citing concerns over arms sales to the Bahraini government.

November 2014: Andrew's meetings with Aliyev

As of November 2014, Andrew had met with Ilham Aliyev, the president of Azerbaijan, on 12 occasions, raising concerns due to Aliyev's criticised for corruption and abuses of human rights by Amnesty International.

2014: Giuffre's allegations

In 2014, Virginia Giuffre alleged that she was sex trafficked to Andrew by Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell when she was 17 years old.

2015: Initial Loan

Andrew had an existing £1.25 million loan that had been "extended or increased 10 times" since 2015.

March 2016: Report filed against Andrew for damaging Windsor Great Park gates

In March 2016, a report was filed with the police by Republic CEO Graham Smith, alleging that Andrew damaged sensor-operated gates in Windsor Great Park. The Thames Valley Police dismissed the reports.

May 2016: Controversy Over Deal Brokering in Kazakhstan

In May 2016, the Daily Mail alleged that Andrew had brokered a deal to assist a Greek and Swiss consortium in securing a £385 million contract in Kazakhstan and was set to gain a £4 million commission. Buckingham Palace denied the allegations.

November 2017: Andrew borrows from Banque Havilland

In November 2017, Andrew borrowed £250,000 from Banque Havilland, adding to an existing £1.25 million loan. Documents raised concerns about his credibility, but the loan was granted to "further business potential with the Royal Family".

December 2017: Loan payoff

In December 2017, £1.5 million was transferred from an account at Albany Reserves, controlled by the Rowland family, to Andrew's account at Banque Havilland, paying off the loan due in March 2018.

March 2018: Loan due date

The loan from Banque Havilland was due in March 2018, but it was paid off in December 2017 with funds from an account controlled by the Rowland family.

November 2019: KPMG and Standard Chartered withdraw support from Pitch@Palace

On 18 and 19 November 2019, KPMG and Standard Chartered withdrew their sponsorship of Prince Andrew's entrepreneurial scheme, Pitch@Palace.

November 2019: Payment Received

On November 15, 2019, the wife of İlhan İşbilen transferred £750,000 to Andrew, purportedly as a wedding gift for Princess Beatrice, though this was allegedly to help her secure a passport.

2019: Military Affiliations Suspended

In 2019, Andrew's military affiliations were suspended.

2019: Campaign to Strip Earldom

In 2019, Inverness residents started a campaign to strip him of the Earldom of Inverness due to his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein.

January 2020: Security Downgrade and Lack of Cooperation

In January 2020, the Home Office recommended "a major downgrade of security" for Prince Andrew. Later in January 2020, US Attorney Geoffrey Berman stated that Prince Andrew had provided "zero co-operation" with federal prosecutors and the FBI regarding the ongoing investigations.

May 2020: Resignation from Public Roles

In May 2020, Andrew resigned from public roles following criticism for his association with Epstein and Maxwell.

May 2020: Legal Dispute Over Mortgage

In May 2020, it was reported that Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson were in a legal dispute over the mortgage for their skiing chalet in Verbier, Switzerland.

May 2020: Prince Andrew Charitable Trust Under Investigation

In May 2020, it was reported that the Prince Andrew Charitable Trust was under investigation by the Charity Commission regarding some regulatory issues about £350,000 of payments to his former private secretary Amanda Thirsk.

June 2020: Person of Interest in US Criminal Investigation

In June 2020, it became known that Prince Andrew is a person of interest in a criminal investigation in the United States, and that the United States had filed a mutual legal assistance request to British authorities in order to question Andrew.

July 2020: Cancelled Trip to Spain

In July 2020, following the arrest of Ghislaine Maxwell, Prince Andrew cancelled a planned trip to Spain, reportedly due to fears that he might be arrested and extradited to the United States.

August 2020: Anti-Child Trafficking Protest

In August 2020, anti-child trafficking protesters chanting "Paedophile! Paedophile!" referencing Prince Andrew gathered outside Buckingham Palace.

November 2020: Bloomberg Businessweek Report on Andrew's Role as Trade Envoy

In November 2020, Bloomberg Businessweek reported on Andrew using his royal cachet and role as trade envoy for helping David Rowland and his private bank, Banque Havilland, secure deals with clients around the world.

August 2021: Giuffre Lawsuit Filed

In August 2021, Virginia Giuffre sued Prince Andrew in the federal District Court for the Southern District of New York, accusing him of "sexual assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress". The lawsuit was filed under New York's Child Victims Act.

October 2021: Andrew's Lawyers Respond to Lawsuit

On 29 October 2021, Prince Andrew's lawyers filed a response to Giuffre's lawsuit, stating that their client "unequivocally denies Giuffre's false allegations".

2021: Trespassing Incidents and Verbal Abuse

In early 2021, there were at least two trespassing incidents reported at Prince Andrew's Windsor property, and in December 2021 he was verbally abused by a woman as he was driving.

January 2022: Ceased using Honorary Military Titles

In January 2022, Andrew ceased using his honorary military titles after a letter signed by over 150 Royal Navy, RAF, and Army veterans requested Queen Elizabeth II to remove his honorary military appointments.

January 2022: Removal of Military Affiliations and Patronages

In January 2022, Queen Elizabeth II removed Andrew's honorary military affiliations and royal charitable patronages.

January 2022: Style of HRH

In January 2022, it was reported that Andrew retains the style of His Royal Highness, but would no longer use it in a public capacity.

January 2022: Judge Allows Lawsuit to Proceed

On 12 January 2022, Judge Kaplan rejected Andrew's attempts to dismiss the case, allowing the sexual abuse lawsuit to proceed.

January 2022: Military Affiliations Returned

On January 13, 2022, Andrew's military affiliations were formally returned to Queen Elizabeth II.

February 2022: Settlement of Civil Lawsuit

In February 2022, the civil lawsuit over sexual assault filed by Giuffre in New York State was settled out of court, with Andrew paying an undisclosed sum to Giuffre.

March 2022: Transfer Reported

In March 2022, it was reported that İlhan İşbilen's wife had transferred £750,000 to Andrew on November 15, 2019, believing it would help her secure a passport. Andrew repaid the money 16 months later after being contacted by İşbilen's lawyers.

April 2022: Calls to Lose Title

In April 2022, several York councillors called for Andrew to lose the title of Duke of York.

June 2022: Chalet Frozen Due to Debt

In June 2022, it was reported that the chalet in Verbier has been frozen because of a £1.6 million debt Andrew owes unnamed people.

October 2022: Loss of Government Funding

In October 2022, it was reported that Prince Andrew no longer received any government funding.

November 2022: Potential Loss of Police Protection

In November 2022, it was reported that Prince Andrew was set to lose his police protection.

December 2022: Complaint about Security Situation

In December 2022, The Telegraph reported that Prince Andrew had written to the Home Office and the Metropolitan Police to complain about his security situation.

2022: Reports of brusque manner

In 2022, The Guardian reported on Andrew's brusque manner with servants. Former royal protection officer Paul Page said that Andrew maintained a collection of "50 or 60 stuffed toys" and if they "weren't put back in the right order by the maids, he would shout and scream and become verbally abusive."

January 2023: Loss of Suite at Buckingham Palace

In January 2023, it was reported that Prince Andrew could no longer use his suite of rooms at Buckingham Palace.

2023: Yang Barred from the UK

In 2023, Chris Yang was barred from entry to the United Kingdom due to alleged engagement in "covert and deceptive activity" on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party.

August 2024: Withdrawal of Funds for Security

In August 2024, The Telegraph reported that the King would be withdrawing funds for Prince Andrew's security by the end of October, requiring him to pay for future security operations at his Royal Lodge home.