By Molly Claire Goddard
11:23am PST, Dec 12, 2025
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Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor lost everything over his friendship with
Jeffrey Epstein. Despite being stripped of his titles, evicted from Royal Lodge and banished from The Firm, one expert thinks there's one honor that should remain.
Keep reading to learn which one…MORE:
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Royal reporter
Conor Wilson thinks Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor should keep his medal for serving as a sea king helicopter co-pilot in the Falklands War — a 10-week undeclared battle between Argentina and the U.K. over two British territories in the South Atlantic during 1982. "Those calling for him to be stripped of his medal earned during the Falklands War know nothing of the significance of honors earned on operations," he wrote for
Daily Express.
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While Conor Wilson feels Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's downfall is justified, he also thinks the former Duke of York should feel good about his sacrifice. "For a man born into a life of privilege, who by all accounts took full advantage of the benefits that come with being the monarch's third-born child, his service during the conflict remains the one thing in his life that Andrew can be proud of," he wrote. "Medals earned on operations are not daft military honors or ceremonial ranks as are held by most senior royals to varying degrees and often given out like confetti. They signify the ultimate commitment to a country one can make, the willingness to fight and potentially die for one's nation or one's comrades."
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Despite Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's shortcomings, putting his life on the line for England should be commended, Conor Wilson believes. "Regardless of his actions after the conflict, even the most harsh critic can not erase the realities of history," he said. "Andrew not only served but did so with distinction, putting himself in harm's way to defend troops and reclaim British territory from a brutal dictatorship. Whatever the future holds for Andrew, he has nobody to blame but himself. If a life of misery awaits him, then my sympathy, like millions of other people, is in short supply."
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Conor Wilson emphasized the difference between the honors Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor received for his privilege and those he earned. "Whatever he was handed on a plate as a result of his fortuitous birth is fair game to be stripped. But he earned his Falklands medal in war and the state has no right to take it away," he said.
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Along with his royal title and lease for Royal Lodge, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor lost his position as Knight of the Order of the Garter and Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order. Queen Elizabeth II previously stripped his military and charity patronages in 2022.
