Prince Andrew gives up all titles and honors because of Epstein affair

British Prince Andrew, who has fallen deeply in the affair surrounding sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, is also giving up his remaining royal titles and duties. The 65-year-old said this in a statement released by the palace. In discussions with his brother, King Charles III, and his family, they came to the conclusion that “the ongoing allegations against me are distracting from the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family,” Andrew said.

With the statement, Queen Elizabeth II’s second son comes ahead of further speculation and possibly an even greater humiliation – the stripping of honors by the king himself. In a few days, on October 21st, the memoirs of Virginia Roberts Giuffre, probably the best-known victim in the abuse scandal, will be published – she had accused the prince of abusing her as a minor.

“As I have already said, I firmly reject the allegations made against me,” Andrew said. The scandal has burdened the royal family for years. The 65-year-old remains a prince, having held the title since his birth. His two daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie, remain princesses.

He will no longer use his title – Andrew is Duke of York – and the honors bestowed upon him, Andrew said. According to the PA news agency, his dukedom can only be completely revoked by Parliament. Honors relinquished include the knighthood of the Royal Victorian Order and his role as “Royal Knight Companion” in the king’s elite Order of the Garter.

Andrew had largely withdrawn from the public eye years ago in the wake of the Epstein affair. He had already lost his role as an official representative of the royal family, military ranks and patronage. The prince was friends with the US entrepreneur, who died in custody in 2019 – Epstein had run an abuse ring for years, to which dozens of young women and girls fell victim.

British media had already reported excerpts in recent days about Giuffre’s memoirs (“Nobody’s Girl”), in which the allegations against Andrew are renewed. The American-born woman had in the past reported, sometimes in front of cameras, about the suffering that was said to have been inflicted on her as a teenager and young woman.

Giuffre had also sued Prince Andrew, and in 2022 she reached a settlement worth millions. She took her own life at the age of 41. Andrew had always denied even knowing Giuffre. However, there is a photo of both of them that is now symbolic of the Epstein scandal in Great Britain.

In a BBC interview, Andrew once tried to dispel suspicions against him. But that failed completely. The Queen’s supposed favorite son became entangled in contradictions and appeared arrogant. The interview later even became the basis for a Netflix film adaptation. Andrew’s assurances that he didn’t remember Giuffre seemed unbelievable.

Above all, it was the lack of compassion towards Epstein’s victims that was Andrew’s downfall. In recent months, the prince has repeatedly been confronted with alleged new evidence that he has practically never really distanced himself from Epstein.

Now, Andrew said he has “chosen, as he always has,” to put his duty to his family and country first. He stands by his decision five years ago to withdraw from public life. “With His Majesty’s approval, we feel that I must now go one step further,” he said, according to the statement.

Note: This article has been updated.