Disgraced Prince Andrew’s Coat of Arms Taken Down from Windsor Castle — a Move Reserved for Traitors

Andrew announced on Oct. 17 that he would give up use of his royal titles and honors

Following Prince Andrew’s announcement that he would give up use of his titles, King Charles’ younger brother has been removed from public recognition in another substantial way.

PEOPLE can confirm that Andrew’s banner featuring his coat of arms has been removed from Windsor Castle.

The flag was previously on display next to Prince William’s inside St. George’s Chapel. It was first raised in 2006, after Andrew was made a Knight of the Order of the Garter, a chivalric order founded in the 14th century. He was not formally stripped of the order, but agreed to give it up.

The display is typically only removed in cases of high treason or rebellions against the Crown, according to The Sun.

PEOPLE has reached out to Buckingham Palace for comment.

Prince Andrew on Feb. 27.Chris Jackson/Getty

Andrew, 65, announced on Oct. 17 that he would give up use of his royal titles and honors. In a statement released via Buckingham Palace, he said that the decision was made “[in] discussion with The King, and my immediate and wider family.”

“[We] have concluded the continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family,” he said. “I have decided, as I always have, to put my duty to my family and country first.”

Andrew, who has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, first stepped back from public life in 2019 amid fallout from his connection to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Queen Elizabeth then stripped Andrew of his military titles and patronages in early 2022 after a judge rejected his attempt to have Virginia Giuffre’s sexual assault lawsuit against him dismissed. He settled with Giuffre, who died by suicide earlier this year, out of court for an undisclosed sum.

At the time, he kept his Duke of York title and other honors. He also continued to join the royals at family events, which included holiday outings, funerals and other gatherings.

Andrew will still be called a prince as a son of Queen Elizabeth and in accordance with the Letters Patent issued by George V in 1917, which the Queen updated in 2012.

Recent reports revealed a 2011 email that allegedly showed Andrew telling Epstein, “It would seem we are in this together,” one day after the infamous picture of Andrew with his arm around Giuffre was published. The message also appeared to prove that the pair were still in contact after the royal claimed that he had cut ties with Epstein.

Just weeks earlier, several charities cut ties with Andrew’s ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, after another newly surfaced email from 2011 showed her calling Epstein “a steadfast, generous and supreme friend to me and my family.”

Andrew and Sarah Ferguson on Sept. 16.Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty

Several major changes have come since Andrew agreed to renounce his royal titles. Royal.UK was updated to reflect the change, and no longer lists him as the Duke of York. Instead, the heading on his biography was replaced with simply “Prince Andrew” on Monday, Oct. 20.

The page includes a biography and highlights his service in the Royal Navy. It features the 2022 statement about Andrew stepping back from his public role as well as losing his military affiliations and patronages, as well as a link to the Oct. 17 statement.

PEOPLE previously reported that Andrew’s ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, will also no longer use her title.

Queen Elizabeth made her second son the Duke of York when he married Ferguson in 1986, granting him the historic royal title traditionally used for the monarch’s second son. The move made Ferguson the Duchess of York, and she retained that title after she and Andrew divorced in 1996.

While Prince Andrew’s ex-wife has long used Sarah Ferguson professionally, PEOPLE reported that she will now do so in all areas, meaning she will no longer use her Duchess of York title.

Despite the recent announcement, PEOPLE understands they will continue residing on the Windsor Castle estate, as Andrew holds a private tenancy agreement with The Crown Estate that is unaffected by changes to his honors and titles. Andrew hasn’t paid rent on his Windsor mansion since 2003, per a leasehold agreement for the Royal Lodge obtained by The Times.

The royal titles and positions of his adult daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, will not be affected by the latest bombshell.