LONDON — Prince Andrew may have been stripped of his royal status, military honours and official duties, but a fresh controversy suggests the battle over his royal identity is far from over.

According to new reports, the disgraced Duke is alleged to have continued using royal styles and titles in private settings despite King Charles’ sweeping efforts to distance the monarchy from one of the darkest scandals in its modern history. The claims have reignited questions over whether Andrew has truly accepted the consequences of his public downfall—or whether traces of his former status continue to survive behind closed doors.

The issue comes at a particularly delicate moment for Buckingham Palace.

Since the renewed fallout from Jeffrey Epstein-related investigations, King Charles has pursued an increasingly firm strategy to remove Andrew from the institution’s public image. Royal titles have been withdrawn, residences have changed hands and Andrew has virtually disappeared from official royal life. Yet critics argue that symbolic gestures mean little if elements of his former royal identity continue to appear in private correspondence or personal affairs.

The controversy has once again dragged the Royal Family back into a debate it has spent years trying to escape.

Andrew’s friendship with the late Jeffrey Epstein has haunted the monarchy for years, but renewed investigations and fresh public scrutiny have ensured the story refuses to disappear. Every new revelation has intensified pressure on the Palace to demonstrate that there is no path back for the King’s younger brother.

Royal commentators say the latest claims are damaging not because they change Andrew’s legal status, but because they risk undermining the message Buckingham Palace has worked so hard to project—that the institution has already drawn a definitive line under the scandal.

For King Charles, the timing could hardly be worse.

The monarchy is attempting to present an image of stability while senior royals continue carrying out public engagements across Britain. Yet Andrew’s name repeatedly returns to the headlines, threatening to overshadow every carefully planned royal appearance and reopening questions many believed had already been answered.

Perhaps the most intriguing detail, however, is what remains unknown.

Sources close to royal circles suggest Palace officials have become increasingly sensitive about anything that could imply Andrew is still clinging to remnants of his former status. Whether these latest allegations will trigger further internal action remains unclear—but one insider reportedly hinted that documents never intended for public view could eventually reveal just how far efforts to preserve those royal privileges may have continued behind the scenes.