Britain’s former prince Andrew is due to be stripped of his last remaining military position as part of King Charles’ decision to remove his brother from public life, the defence minister said on Sunday.

John Healey told BBC television that moves were underway to take away Andrew’s position as a vice admiral in the British Navy and that Charles had “indicated that’s what he wishes”.

The king last week stripped his younger brother of his title of prince and evicted him from his mansion in a bid to prevent further damage to the royal family’s reputation over Andrew’s ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

“This is a move that’s right, it’s a move the king has indicated we should take and we’re working on that at the moment,” Healey said.

Andrew kept his rank as a vice admiral in 2022 when he gave up his other military positions.