Brits say there’s one honour Andrew shouldn’t be stripped of — his South Atlantic Medal

24.02.2026 18:23

«Metro UK»

Just 3% of British people now view the former prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor in a positive light, according to new polling. That makes him easily the least popular royal in modern history. A staggering 90% of Brits currently hold an unfavourable opinion of Andrew (with 7% undecided or have no opinion). The numbers are really quite brutal. Yet amid the wreckage of discarded titles, removed ranks and a shattered reputation, there is one honour the public is not ready to see taken away from the man… (Picture: Getty Images)

The most recent YouGov survey on the subject confirms what’s been rather clear for a number of years now. Andrew’s standing with the public has utterly collapsed following scrutiny of his relationship with the convicted sex offender and paedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein. The ex-Duke has repeatedly denied wrongdoing and is yet to be charged with anything. Still, the scandal has reshaped how Britons see him and what role, if any, he should have left within the Royal Family. (Picture: Davidoff Studios/Getty Images)

On the question of his formal status, the public is pretty decisive. 82% of the UK public who were surveyed support removing Andrew entirely from the line of succession. Previous polling found 80% backed stripping him of his title as Duke of York. 79% supported removing his title as Prince. 76% approved of taking away his military rank of Vice Admiral. On most subjects, the appetite for removal is unmistakeably overwhelming. (Picture: Reuters)

The mood of the British public shifts when it comes to Andrew and the question of whether or not he should be allowed to retain his South Atlantic Medal, however. He received the award for serving as a helicopter co-pilot during the Falklands War back in the 1980s. On this issue, Britons are much more divided. 36% of those polled believe that, like everything else, it absolutely should be stripped from him. Slightly more, 43%, say that it shouldn’t. Military service, it seems for many, sits in a different category altogether. The numbers suggest that, for a sizeable group of people in Britain today, the medal appears to mark a specific period of service that stands apart from the scandal. (Picture: AP)

The survey shows that there is also criticism from the public around how the wider royal family have handled the events. 58% of Britons believe that the monarchy reacted too slowly to revelations about Andrew’s links to Jeffrey Epstein. Half – 51% – say that senior royals should have done much more to condemn him publicly. (Picture: Karwai Tang/WireImage)

When it comes to King Charles III, opinion is more evenly balanced. Most think that the King has realistically done pretty much all he can to distance the institution from his brother and 40% of those asked believe that he’s handled the matter well. While 32% say he has handled it badly. (Picture: REUTERS)

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The fallout extends to Andrew’s immediate family too, of course. A majority of Brits, 54%, believe that his daughters would be right to distance themselves from him if they so desired. And before any arrest had taken place, only 25% of Britons thought it was likely that he would face any kind of criminal charges for his involvement with Epstein. (Picture: Instagram)

Brits say there’s one honour Andrew shouldn’t be stripped of — his South Atlantic Medal

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