After a private conversation with King Charles, Prince Andrew has decided to give up all his royal titles, including the “Duke of York.”
“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 stated. “I have decided, as I always have, to put my duty to my family and country first.”
He further added, “I stand by my decision five years ago to stand back from public life. 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. As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me.”
Prince Andrew’s relinquishing of titles comes amid renewed scrutiny regarding his connections to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Besides the embarrassment around Andrew’s past relationship with Epstein, there are also concerns related to his association with a Chinese Communist Party official involved in a recent espionage scandal.
In 2019, Andrew eased away from his public royal duties, and in 2022, after a judge denied his request to dismiss a sexual assault lawsuit from Virginia Giuffre—one of Epstein’s key victims—his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, officially removed his military titles and patronages.
Giuffre, known widely as a survivor of Epstein’s exploitation, tragically died by suicide on April 25, at 41, after grappling with personal challenges, including allegations of domestic abuse and serious health issues from a car accident earlier that year. She had been working on a memoir titled “Nobody’s Girl,” detailing her trafficking experiences, which implicated powerful figures like Prince Andrew, whom she claimed felt entitled to have sexual relations with her. Andrew had settled a lawsuit with Giuffre in 2022 for an undisclosed amount between $6 million and $16 million, without admitting any liability.
