Prince Andrew gives up his royal titles in fallout from Jeffrey Epstein scandal

Britain’s Prince Andrew will not use his royal titles, including the Duke of York, any longer, he said in a statement released by Buckingham Palace Friday. The announcement comes after the release of excerpts from a posthumous memoir by Jeffrey Epstein accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who had repeatedly claimed to have been sexually trafficked by the late financier to Andrew.

“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,” Andrew, the younger brother of King Charles III, said in the statement. “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.”

He continued: “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.”

Giuffre, who died by suicide in April, sued Andrew in 2021, alleging that he forced her to engage in sexual acts against her will when she was 17 years old. The two reached an out-of-court settlement in 2022. Andrew has denied the allegations.

Giuffre was one of the most vocal accusers of Epstein, a convicted sex offender, and Ghislaine Maxwell, who was found guilty of helping Epstein groom, recruit and sexually abuse underage girls. Giuffre alleged Maxwell connected her with Epstein, which Maxwell denies.

In an excerpt of her memoir published by The Guardian, Giuffre describes her alleged encounters with Andrew in detail. 

“He was friendly enough, but still entitled — as if he believed having sex with me was his birthright,” she wrote. “The next morning, Maxwell told me: ‘You did well. The prince had fun.’ Epstein would give me $15,000 for servicing the man the tabloids called ‘Randy Andy.'”

Andrew, once second in line to the British throne, has long been a source of tabloid fodder because of his links to Epstein, other questionable characters and money woes.

His attempt to refute Giuffre’s allegations backfired during a November 2019 BBC interview. Viewers saw a prince who proffered curious rebuttals — such as disputing Giuffre’s recollection of sweaty dancing by saying he was medically incapable of perspiring — and showed no empathy for the women who said Epstein abused them.

Within days of the interview, Andrew stepped down from his royal duties. 

As well as no longer being known as the Duke of York, Andrew will also give up other titles: Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order and Royal Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter.

He will remain a prince, which he has been entitled to since birth.