Prince Andrew announced Friday that he is giving up his royal title of the Duke of York and other honors as renewed attention on his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein once again brought controversy to the British royal family.
In a statement released by Buckingham Palace, Andrew — the younger brother of King Charles III — said:
“The continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the royal family. 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,” Andrew said. “As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me.”
According to The Associated Press, the decision follows the release of excerpts from the upcoming posthumous memoir of Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who accused Epstein of trafficking her and claimed she had sex with Prince Andrew when she was 17. Giuffre, who died by suicide in April at age 41, detailed her alleged encounters with the prince in the memoir.
Andrew has long denied her claims and said he does not recall ever meeting her. Giuffre sued him in 2021, and the case was settled out of court the following year for an undisclosed amount. Court filings at the time stated that Andrew acknowledged Epstein was a sex trafficker and that Giuffre was “an established victim of abuse.”
The 65-year-old prince had already stepped down from public life in 2019 after his ties to Epstein came under scrutiny. His reputation took a sharp blow following a BBC interview that November, during which his attempt to defend himself backfired. The prince infamously claimed he could not have “sweated” during a night out Giuffre described because of a medical condition, and he showed little empathy for Epstein’s victims.
As part of his decision, Andrew will give up several prestigious honors, including Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order and Royal Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter. He will, however, retain his birthright title of prince.
His ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, will also stop using the title Duchess of York, though their daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, will retain their royal titles.
Once considered one of the royal family’s most glamorous figures, Andrew’s fall from grace marks a stark contrast to his days as a decorated Royal Navy helicopter pilot who flew combat missions during the 1982 Falklands War.
Despite their long-ago divorce, Andrew and Ferguson continue to live together at their 30-room mansion near Windsor Castle, as the prince faces yet another chapter of public disgrace.
