Prince Andrew is left with just two vestiges of his former status, which are protected by law: his title of prince and his accommodation at Royal Lodge.
Letters patent issued by George V in 1917 and updated by the late Queen in 2012 stipulate that a child of a monarch shall have the “titular dignity” of prince or princess and “enjoy the style, title or attribute” of His or Her Royal Highness.
The same honour extends to the children of the monarch’s sons, and the children of the Prince of Wales’s eldest son.
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George V intended the rule to be a way to limit the number of people using the titles.
It means Andrew will always be a prince, and his daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie, are princesses, but their children do not have royal titles.
Andrew’s decision to voluntarily relinquish his other titles, Duke of York and Knight of the Garter, saves the King from taking official and legal steps.
Extinguishing a dukedom requires an act of parliament so the King is said to be glad to have saved Westminster the extra work.
To remove a Knight of the Garter is not straightforward, either.
Andrew has held the position since 2006, when he was appointed to the Order of the Garter along with his brother Prince Edward.
For the last four years Andrew has agreed to stay away from what one source described as the “theatrics” of the annual Garter Day parade through the streets of Windsor. But he was still permitted to attend the private lunch at the castle.
Andrew at the Garter Day parade in 2014
CHRIS JACKSON/GETTY IMAGES
Taking the ancient chivalric honour away is known as a “degradation” and is usually as a result of a crime such as treason and heresy. The last formal degradation was the 2nd Duke of Ormond in 1716, although more recently Wilhelm II of Germany and Franz Joseph I of Austria simply had the honour removed during the First World War.
Others who have had honours withdrawn in disgrace include Robert Mugabe and Benito Mussolini, who both lost their honorary knighthoods. Stepping back from the role preserves some dignity for Andrew.
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There is one battle that Charles has not yet won. For more than a year the King has been trying to oust Andrew from Royal Lodge.
Charles believes that the palatial 42-room home on the Windsor estate is not fitting for someone of Andrew’s reduced status. Andrew, however, refuses to leave.
Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park, where Andrew lives with his former wife, Sarah
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The long-running battle is what a friend of the King has referred to as “the siege of Royal Lodge”.
Andrew has a legally binding lease with the Crown Estate which lasts for the rest of his lifetime.
Providing he can afford to keep paying for the necessary upkeep and security on the property, he can continue to stay there.