Prince Andrew Surrenders Duke of York Title Amid Escalating Jeffrey Epstein Scandal

Prince Andrew claimed he traveled to New York in 2010 to end his relationship with Epstein. (File)

United Kingdom:

On Friday, the UK's Prince Andrew surrendered his Duke of York title under pressure from King Charles, his brother, as new revelations about his connections to US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein emerged.

"I will no longer use my title or the honours which have been conferred upon me," announced 65-year-old Andrew in a significant statement.

He indicated that his decision followed discussions with King Charles III.

"I have decided, as I always have, to put my duty to my family and country first," Andrew stated in an announcement released by Buckingham Palace.

While continuing to deny all allegations of wrongdoing, he acknowledged, "We have concluded the continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family."

Andrew, who withdrew from public duties in 2019 due to the Epstein scandal, will retain his prince status as the second son of the late Queen Elizabeth II.

However, he will no longer hold the Duke of York title that she bestowed upon him.

UK media reported that he would also relinquish his membership in the prestigious Order of the Garter, the most senior knighthood in the British honours system dating back to 1348.

Andrew's former wife Sarah Ferguson will also cease using the Duchess of York title, though their daughters Beatrice and Eugenie remain princesses.

Andrew has become a significant source of embarrassment for his brother Charles, particularly following a disastrous 2019 television interview where he defended his friendship with Epstein.

Epstein died by suicide in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on charges of trafficking underage girls for sex.

In the interview, Andrew asserted he had severed ties with Epstein in 2010, after Epstein's disgrace following accusations by American woman Virginia Giuffre that he had used her as a sex slave.

However, according to an exchange reported in UK media this week, Andrew told the convicted sex offender in 2011 that they were "in this together" when a photograph of the prince with his arm around Giuffre was published.

He reportedly added they would "play together soon".

Giuffre, who held US and Australian citizenship, took her own life at her farm in Western Australia on April 25.

"The monarchy simply had to put a stop to it," royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told the BBC. "He has dishonoured his titles, he's in disgrace."

Andrew was stripped of his military titles in 2022 and effectively retired after Giuffre accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was 17.

New allegations surfaced this week in Giuffre's posthumous memoir, where she wrote that Andrew had behaved as if having sex with her was his "birthright".

In "Nobody's Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice," scheduled for publication next week, Giuffre stated she had sexual encounters with Andrew on three separate occasions, including when she was under 18.

Andrew has consistently denied Giuffre's accusations and avoided a trial in a civil lawsuit by paying a multimillion-dollar settlement.

In extracts published by The Guardian newspaper this week, Giuffre described meeting the prince in London in March 2001 when she was 17.

Andrew allegedly was challenged to guess her age, which he did correctly, adding: "My daughters are just a little younger than you."

The once-popular royal earned hero status when he served as a Royal Navy helicopter pilot during the 1982 Falklands War.

Internationally, he gained fame through his 1986 wedding to Ferguson, which boosted public support for the monarchy five years after his elder brother Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer.

Andrew has also become involved in a China spying scandal, with The Daily Telegraph revealing Thursday that he met three times in 2018 and 2019 with a senior Chinese official reportedly central to the case.

The Epstein case also implicated Ferguson, 65, last month when a 2011 email emerged in which she called Epstein a "supreme friend" and sought forgiveness for "letting him down".

She had previously vowed to "never have anything to do with" Epstein again and described a £15,000 ($20,000) loan from the billionaire as "a gigantic error of judgement".

York City councillor Darryl Smalley, who had lobbied hard for Andrew to relinquish the title, stated: "It's obviously a long time coming, but finally they recognised what a massive liability he is."