By Molly Claire Goddard
8:10am PST, Mar 6, 2026
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According to a statement provided by Norway's royal palace to
Newsweek, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor relinquished The Order of St. Olav. The former Duke of York was given the honor in 1988 to celebrate his "distinguished services rendered to Norway and mankind." A representative said, "We can confirm that if there is no entry registered for the individual concerned, then he is not a holder of The Order of St Olav. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has, in this case, chosen to return his decoration. As a general rule, we do not comment on case processing in matters relating to orders and medals."
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The loss of another honor comes after Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in a public office for allegedly sharing information with Jeffrey Epstein while serving as the U.K.'s trade envoy. Emails released by the U.S. Department of Justice appeared to show the father of two telling the criminal about official visits to Hong Kong, Vietnam and Singapore. "Following a thorough assessment, we have now opened an investigation into this allegation of misconduct in public office," Assistant Chief Constable Oliver Wright said in a statement. "It is important that we protect the integrity and objectivity of our investigation as we work with our partners to investigate this alleged offense. We understand the significant public interest in this case, and we will provide updates at the appropriate time." Andrew remains under investigation.
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King Charles III — who stripped Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor of his titles and evicted him from Royal Lodge last year — addressed the scandal. "I have learned with the deepest concern the news about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and suspicion of misconduct in public office. What now follows is the full, fair and proper process by which this issue is investigated in the appropriate manner and by the appropriate authorities. In this, as I have said before, they have our full and wholehearted support and co-operation," he said in a statement. "Let me state clearly: the law must take its course. As this process continues, it would not be right for me to comment further on this matter. Meanwhile, my family and I will continue in our duty and service to you all."
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Queen Elizabeth II forced Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor to take a step back from royal life by removing his military and charity patronages due to his connection to Jeffrey Epstein.
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Despite losing everything, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor reportedly feels no regret. "It's extraordinary. [The former Duke of York] hardly seemed bothered about the [Jeffrey] Epstein scandal," royal writer Robert Hardman told
DailyMail.com. "He was much more worried about where he was supposed to keep his horses. He was even grumbling about where to park his car."
