Prince Andrew said in a statement on Friday that he is giving up his royal titles, including Duke of York, after his links to late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein returned to the headlines.
“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. I have decided, as I always have, to put my duty to my family and country first. I stand by my decision five years ago to stand back from public life,” Andrew said in a statement released by Buckingham Palace.
“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,” the younger brother of King Charles III added.
Andrew, 65, will remain a prince but he will cease to be the Duke of York, which is a title he received from his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
It’s also been announced that Andrew’s ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson (“Fergie”), will no longer use the title of Duchess of York. The pair’s daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie, still retain their “princess” titles.
Andrew will not be spending Christmas with the Royal Family in Sandringham, the BBC reports. He is expected to stay in his Windsor home, Royal Lodge, and miss the yearly tradition that’s been held since 1988.
This comes as excerpts have been published of an upcoming posthumous memoir from Virginia Giuffre, who has alleged she was trafficked by Epstein and had sex with Andrew when she was 17.
In the memoir, she details alleged encounters with Prince Andrew, who she sued in 2021, claiming that they had sex when she was a minor. Andrew continually denied her claims, and the two settled the lawsuit in 2022.
Get daily National news
Get the day’s top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.
In the book, Giuffre goes on to describe her encounter with Prince Andrew, whom she said was “entitled — as if he believed having sex with me was his birthright,” adding that he paid particular attention to her feet.
Recalling their night together, she wrote, “He said thank you in his clipped British accent. In my memory, the whole thing lasted less than half an hour.”
Epstein later paid her $15,000 for “servicing the man the tabloids called ‘Randy Andy,’” the memoir says.
The book, titled Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice, will be released on Oct. 22, and was co-written by author and journalist Amy Wallace. The memoir was completed before Giuffre died by suicide in April.
Giuffre’s family, including Sky and Amanda Roberts and Danny and Lanette Wilson — Virginia’s brothers and sisters-in-law — spoke out after Andrew’s statement was released.
“We, the family of Virginia Roberts Giuffre, believe that Prince Andrew’s decision to give up his titles is vindication for our sister and survivors everywhere,” the family said in a statement to People. “This decisive action is a powerful step forward in our fight to bring Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s child sex-trafficking network to justice.”
“Further, we believe it is appropriate for King Charles to remove the title of Prince,” the statement added.
Prince Andrew has maintained a low profile in recent years, following his removal from royal duties in January 2022. Queen Elizabeth II had previously stripped him of his military titles and royal patronages.
“With The Queen’s approval and agreement, The Duke of York’s military affiliations and Royal patronages have been returned to The Queen. The Duke of York will continue not to undertake any public duties and is defending this case as a private citizen,” a 2022 press release from Buckingham Palace read.
At the time, more than 150 veterans signed an open letter calling for Queen Elizabeth II to strip Andrew of his military titles, the campaign group Republic said.
The letter called on the monarch to take immediate action because Andrew had been “uncooperative and less than truthful” about his ties with Epstein.
“We are particularly upset and angry that Prince Andrew remains a member of the armed forces and continues to hold military titles, positions and ranks, including that of Vice Admiral of the Royal Navy,” the letter said.
“We are therefore asking that you take immediate steps to strip Prince Andrew of all his military ranks and titles and, if necessary, that he be dishonourably discharged.”
Andrew held three Colonel-in-chief titles for three Canadian regiments – The Princess Louise Fusiliers in Halifax, The Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada in Cambridge and Queen’s York Rangers in Toronto. All of those titles have been stripped, as well.
The prince was also forced to step down from public duties in 2019 because of his connections to Epstein.
—with a file from Global News and The Associated Press
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
Leave a Comment