Royal website glitch meets international red tape: Andrew remains Duke of York

The Royal Family has hit a digital snag after Prince Andrew was mistakenly listed as the Duke of York on the official line of succession page of the royal.uk website.

Last Friday, the embattled royal announced he would surrender the use of his titles including his dukedom amid mounting scandals linked to his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein and alleged connections to China.

Following the announcement, most references to the title were removed from the Royal Family’s official website, with the expectation that he would now simply be listed as Prince Andrew.

However, the update appears not to have been applied to the page detailing the line of succession, which governs the order in which members of the Royal Family would follow in becoming sovereign.

Despite relinquishing his dukedom, the page still lists Andrew as the Duke of York, creating an awkward inconsistency especially as he remains eighth in line to the throne, behind Prince William, Prince Harry, and their children. 

King Charles faces an unprecedented constitutional challenge as questions mount over how far to go in curbing the powers and privileges of Prince Andrew.

To alter the line of succession, the King would need the approval of 14 other countries including Canada, Australia, and Papua New Guinea that share the British monarch as their head of state. 

Craig Prescott, lecturer in law at the University of London, told The Conversation, “Such a step would require international agreement because the monarch maintains ceremonial legal influence over domestic matters in each nation where he is head of state, which would naturally require their input on any change to the potential future sovereign.”

The situation comes amid growing scrutiny over Andrew’s links to Jeffrey Epstein and alleged connections to China. 

“In principle, an act of Parliament could remove Andrew’s princely and HRH status,” Prescott explained. However, his hereditary position currently eighth in line to the throne, behind Prince William, Prince Harry, and their children would remain intact even if Parliament stripped him of his title as prince.

Ideas being floated to address the scandal range from formally stripping Andrew of his dukedom, which would require an act of Parliament, to more extreme measures such as revoking his princely title entirely and removing him from the line of succession.