Ex-Prince Andrew Becomes Eligible for State Pension When He Turns 66 - Details

As controversy swirls and political figures weigh in, questions mount over whether he will keep the taxpayer-funded benefit that few senior royals have ever claimed.

As Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor turns 66 on February 19, 2026, the disgraced former royal quietly becomes eligible for a new stream of taxpayer-funded income — despite longstanding convention that working members of the Royal Family do not claim it.

The former Duke of York will be entitled to receive a £7,034 annual state pension from February 20, 2026, after reaching the official retirement age of 66. The sum equates to around £135 per week, or roughly £540 per month.

Although senior royals typically do not draw the state pension, Mountbatten-Windsor qualifies because of his 22 years of service in the Royal Navy between 1979 and 2001, during which he paid National Insurance Contributions.

When asked whether Mountbatten-Windsor should claim his state pension, Chancellor Rachel Reeves responded with an audible laugh before addressing the broader controversy.

As a result, he meets the criteria to claim the benefit. Under current rules, he would ordinarily be entitled to around £151.31 per week. However, that figure is reduced because he also receives a separate Navy pension, reportedly worth about £20,000 per year.

Turning 66 also makes Mountbatten-Windsor eligible for additional age-related benefits, including potential Council Tax reductions and a London Freedom Pass, which grants free bus and Tube travel in the capital. However, it remains unclear whether he will personally accept the pension or donate it.

His brother, King Charles III, 77, has been eligible for the state pension for more than a decade due to his own naval service, but donates the payments to Age UK. Royal commentator Phil Dampier suggested Mountbatten-Windsor should follow a similar path, stating:

"If Andrew wants to do the right thing and take steps to improve his reputation then he would do well to donate his state pension to charity, maybe even Eugenie's charity combatting modern slavery and human trafficking The Anti-Slavery Collective."

Political Reaction and Public Backlash

When asked whether Mountbatten-Windsor should claim his state pension, Chancellor Rachel Reeves responded with an audible laugh before addressing the broader controversy. "Look, the former prince has got a lot of questions to answer on a whole range of issues," she began.

"I think he owes it to the victims of Epstein and his associates to come forward and give much more information about what he knew around the treatment of young women and girls," the Chancellor continued.

However, her initial reaction soon drew criticism online. One person typed, "Why is she even laughing ? none of these people are serious at all, she didn't even answered the question [sic]."

The former Duke of York's move to Sandringham earlier this month marked a further retreat from public life.

Another shared in part, "Okay I know she gave AN answer in the end but WHY ON EARTH is she LAUGHING? 'Huh uhhuh heehuhu' - as if this isn't a serious matter?" A third netizen commented, "What was that laugh?"

Someone else wrote, "If she can't even answer that question we've got no hope .😂" Meanwhile, questions were also raised about Mountbatten-Windsor's entitlement itself.

One person asked, "Why would a royal get a state pension…let alone a disgraced one." Another noted, "He got a naval pension & done over 22 years flying helicopters around the Falklands. Think he gets about £20,000 or possibly more a year?"

Ongoing Controversy

Mountbatten-Windsor has been living in effective exile since being stripped of his royal titles in October 2025 over his links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The former Duke of York's move to Sandringham earlier this month marked a further retreat from public life.

He was reportedly relocated from Royal Lodge to Wood Farm in the middle of the night two and a half weeks ago and has not been seen publicly since.

Royal sources have insisted the move was intended to avoid burdening others. Furthermore, according to reports, his living costs are currently being covered by the King while the former prince stays at Wood Farm ahead of an anticipated move to Marsh Farm in April.

He is now also facing a police probe linked to worsening allegations referenced in the files.

Despite perceptions of royal wealth, sources have indicated that Mountbatten-Windsor is not flush with cash following his fall from grace.

Alongside his Navy pension and potential state pension, his financial situation has come under renewed scrutiny as fresh allegations have surfaced in newly released Epstein files.

Revelations contained in a recent tranche of unredacted documents included emails in which Epstein did not dispute a journalist's assertion that the then-Duke of York had sexual relations with Virginia Giuffre.

Giuffre had previously alleged she was coerced into sex with Mountbatten-Windsor in 2001, when she was 17, after being trafficked to the UK by Ghislaine Maxwell.

The former prince has consistently and vehemently denied any wrongdoing and said he did not recall meeting Giuffre, despite a widely circulated photograph showing the pair together with Maxwell.

The fallen royal subsequently agreed to pay $12 million, approximately £8.8 million, in March 2022 to settle a civil lawsuit brought by Giuffre — who sadly died by suicide in 2025 — without admitting liability. He is now also facing a police probe linked to worsening allegations referenced in the files.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's 66th birthday is not expected to be publicly marked by the Royal Family, underscoring the distance between him and the Firm as he enters retirement with a new — and contentious — income source.

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