Prince Andrew has agreed to give up his use of the Duke of York title, he said in a statement released through Buckingham Palace.
He will also give up use of his honours as a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) and Royal Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, meaning his only remaining title will be that of prince, which cannot be removed as he was born the son of a queen.
In a statement he said: “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.
“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.”
Technically, Andrew will retain the dukedom, which can only be removed by an act of parliament, but he will not use it. The title, in effect, remains extant but inactive, like the HRH (His Royal Highness) honorific.
It is understood the decision was taken in close consultation with his brother, King Charles, and in recognition of the fact that his personal issues continued to be an unwelcome distraction from the work of the wider royal family.
The king is understood to be glad of the outcome. The Prince of Wales was also consulted, along with other family members.
Andrew’s ex-wife, Sarah, Duchess of York, will also not use her title and be known simply as Sarah Ferguson. The titles of their two daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, will remain unaffected.
The agreement was made after high-level meetings at Buckingham Palace as aides were said to have finally reached a “tipping point”.
There was understood to be “concern” and “anxiety” within the royal household about the continual headlines causing serious reputational risk to the monarchy.
Allegations about Andrew concern his relationship with the late child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and recent details of his relationship with a prominent figure involved in the China spying case.
This week the Guardian published extracts from the posthumous memoir of Andrew’s accuser Virginia Giuffre, who died by suicide in April, aged 41. In the book she claimed the prince “believed that having sex with me was his birthright”. Andrew has always denied claims he had sex with Giuffre when she was 17, and settled a civil case with her for a reported £12m with no admission of liability.
In her book, due to be published on Tuesday, Giuffre describes meetings with Andrew. In one passage, she recounts what she said happened in London one evening.
“Back at the house, [Ghislaine] Maxwell and Epstein said goodnight and headed upstairs, signalling it was time that I take care of the prince. In the years since, I’ve thought a lot about how he behaved. He was friendly enough, but still entitled – as if he believed having sex with me was his birthright.
“He seemed in a rush to have intercourse. Afterward, he said thank you in his clipped British accent. In my memory, the whole thing lasted less than half an hour.
“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’.”
Late on Friday Giuffre’s family said the decision about Andrew’s titles was “vindication for Virginia”.
“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,” they said in a statement.
They added: “Further, we believe it is appropriate for King Charles to remove the title of Prince.”
It has also been reported that Andrew held meetings in 2018 and 2019 with Cai Qi, a member of China’s ruling politburo. Cai was suspected of being the recipient of sensitive information allegedly passed to China by two British nationals accused of spying for Beijing.
The case against Christopher Berry and Christopher Cash was recently dropped by the CPS and both have denied wrongdoing.
Andrew has already been stripped of his military titles and charity affiliations and banned from using his HRH honorific.
As well as the dukedom, he will also now no longer use the other titles given to him on his wedding day – the Earl of Inverness and Baron Killyleagh.
The Labour MP for York Central, Rachael Maskell, called for a law change in light of the Andrew news.
A bill already proposed by Maskell would provide the king with the power to remove titles on his own initiative or after the recommendation of a joint parliament committee.
Maskell said on Friday night: “Having sought to change the law through my removal of titles bill, I now think it is time for this legislation.”
Emails recently published by the Mail on Sunday also appeared to show Andrew had been in contact with Epstein later than he had claimed in his Newsnight interview with Emily Maitlis.
In 2019, Andrew told the BBC’s Newsnight programme that he broke off his friendship with Epstein in December 2010, after the two men were photographed together strolling in New York.
But he wrote to Epstein in the message after the photo was published: “I’m just as concerned for you! Don’t worry about me! It would seem we are in this together and will have to rise above it. Otherwise keep in close touch and we’ll play some more soon!!!!”
He is said to have signed off with: “A, HRH The Duke of York, KG.”
Epstein was found dead in his cell at a federal jail in Manhattan in August 2019 while he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges. The death was ruled a suicide.
In 2008 he pleaded guilty to charges of solicitation of prostitution and of solicitation of prostitution with a minor, for which he served time in jail.
Also late on Friday, documents were released in the US showing Prince Andrew took flights on Epstein’s private jet on four occasions.
The prince is listed on flight logs as having flown from Luton to Edinburgh on 1 September 2006, with the convicted sex trafficker Maxwell, as well as a flight from 12 May 2000, where he is named as travelling with Epstein, Maxwell, the celebrity chef Adam Perry Lang, a bodyguard and three others.
Two further flights from 1999 also displayed the name “Prince Andrew”, alongside the royal protection officer Steve Burgess.
The wife of the disgraced former New Jersey senator Bob Menendez, Gwendolyn Beck and a woman named Claire Hazel are also listed on one of the 1999 flights – with Epstein and Maxwell travelling on both.
The flight logs surfaced after the US House oversight committee published hundreds of further documents from Epstein’s estate on Friday.
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