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Prince Andrew gives up all royal titles including Duke of York amid Epstein allegations
The prince said that the “continued accusations…distract from the work of His Majesty and the royal family."
Prince Andrew on Friday said he was giving up all royal titles, including the title of ‘Duke of York’, with his alleged links to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein making fresh headlines again.
The prince, who is the younger brother of King Charles III and was once second in line to the British throne, said that the royal family and him had decided that the “continued accusations…distract from the work of His Majesty and the royal family."
Along with no longer being known as Duke of York, Prince Andrew will also give up other titles, including the Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order and Royal Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter.
In a statement released by the Buckingham Palace, Prince Andrew said, “With His Majesty's agreement, we feel I must now go a step further. I will therefore no longer use my title or the honours which have been conferred upon me.”
He reiterated that he “vigorously denies” the accusations made against him. Andrew, 65, had already stepped down from public life in 2019.
Why did Prince Andrew give up his royal titles now?
The decision comes even as excerpts of an upcoming posthumous memoir from from Virginia Roberts Giuffre have been published. Giuffre, 41, who died by suicide in April, has in the memoir alleged that she was trafficked by Epstein and had sexual relations with Prince Andrew.
She also reveals details about her encounters with Prince Andrew, who she had sued in 2021, alleging that they had sexual relations when she was 17. The prince had settled the court case and denied any wrongdoing, while saying he did not recall having met her.
The prince drew major flak after his interview with the BBC in November 2019, during which he provided curious rebuttals to Giuffre's claims. Following the interview, Prince Andrew stepped down from royal duties.
