Prince Andrew’s deep fall: what does giving up his titles mean?

Some time ago, Prince Andrew was considered the Queen’s favorite child. Today, after his unprecedented fall in the Jeffrey Epstein sex offender scandal, the 65-year-old has become the greatest liability to the British monarchy and his brother, King Charles III. “Disgraced Andrew,” wrote The Sun tabloid. The most important questions and answers about the case.

After new alleged evidence of the deep friendship between Andrew and Epstein and shortly before the publication of the memoirs of the most famous victim, the prince gave up his remaining titles and honors on Friday evening. “After discussions” with the king and his family, the official statement says. But the tenor of the British media is clear: Andrew had to give up – otherwise the king would have ordered his overthrow.

“The king decides ‘enough is enough’,” wrote the broadcaster “Sky News” in a live ticker. Other media reported the king’s satisfaction with the development, although there is no official information about Charles’ mood. The Epstein affair and Andrew have cast a shadow over the royal family for years.

Andrew denies all allegations – including in the most recent statement. The American-born Virginia Roberts Giuffre, whose memoirs will be published on October 21, had accused Andrew of having abused her as a minor. Her lawsuit against the prince ended in a settlement worth millions in 2022. She took her own life last April at the age of 41.

Andrew’s previous statements about the scandal did not seem credible. Just months after Epstein’s death in 2019, he agreed to an interview with the BBC that turned out to be a disaster. He showed little sympathy for Epstein’s victims and didn’t even regret being friends with him. He also denied ever meeting Giuffre. There is a photo that shows the two arm in arm, with Andrew’s hand resting on Giuffre’s hip.

The author and royal fright Andrew Lownie had recently published a book entitled “Entitled – The Rise and Fall of the House of York” in which he listed numerous other alleged escapades of Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson. “I had difficulty finding anything positive about Andrew,” Lownie told reporters in London a few weeks ago.

In recent days there have been reports of letters from Andrew to Epstein, according to which he was said to have remained loyal even after the alleged break with the entrepreneur. In the BBC interview, Andrew said he had broken off contact after Epstein’s conviction. Epstein died in custody in a New York prison in 2019.

According to a historian quoted by the BBC, it was the first time in over 100 years that a duke in the British monarchy lost his title. At that time it was one of Queen Victoria’s grandsons who fought on the German side in the First World War. “From a historical perspective, this is a very, very significant step,” Anthony Seldon told the BBC.

Andrew announced that he would no longer use his title of Duke of York and the honors bestowed upon him. 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.

Prince Andrew remains Queen Elizabeth II’s third eldest child – and he also remains eighth in line to the British throne. Heir to the throne Prince William is said to have been one of the driving forces behind Andrew’s exclusion. “Charles sees the damage to his image, but I think he’s just quite weak and very naive. William has a much more determined attitude towards it,” said author Lownie at the launch of his book. “He can’t stand Andrew.”

Andrew’s ex-wife Sarah, popularly known as “Fergie”, loses her title as Duchess of York and only goes by her maiden name Sarah Ferguson. The daughters Beatrice and Eugenie remain princesses.

The British media had already reported excerpts about Giuffre’s memoirs (“Nobody’s Girl”) in recent days. The allegations against Andrew are renewed, sometimes with drastic words. As of today, it is unlikely that Andrew will speak out again.

The Epstein scandal is also far from being solved. In the USA, US President Donald Trump is confronted with allegations about his relationship with Epstein, which Trump dismisses as lies.

Financier Epstein, who had systematically abused minors over many years, committed suicide in his prison cell at the age of 66, according to official reports. Epstein’s death caused speculation in parts of US society because he had the best contacts in American high society. Trump promised during the election campaign to disclose the Epstein files. Because he has not done this so far, he is under pressure – also from his own camp.