Prince Andrew has relinquished his remaining royal titles and honours, including his Duke of York title, in the wake of the latest Epstein scandal. He will retain his princely title, as is his birthright as the son of a monarch, and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, will no longer use the Duchess of York title.

The decision comes after his friendship with convicted paedophile sex offender Jeffrey Epstein returned to the headlines, as well as his association with an alleged Chinese spy. In a statement released at 7pm, the King’s younger brother said he made the decision after close consultation with the monarch.

They decided “the continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family”.

Charles is understood to be “glad” that his brother is giving up his titles and the Prince of Wales was also involved in the discussions.

Much has been made of the frosty relations between William and his uncle at the Duchess of Kent’s funeral last month, where the heir to the throne appeared unwilling to even look at Andrew.

The prince added: “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.”

The King’s brother will retain the dukedom, which can only be removed by an Act of Parliament, but not use it. This is the case with his HRH title, which he ceased using after being stripped of his royal patronages and military affiliations in January 2022.

Last night’s decision means Andrew will also give up his knighthood as a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) and his Garter role as a Royal Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter.

It has also been confirmed that Andrew will not join the Royal Family at Sandringham for Christmas, meaning he is unlikely to be photographed with the King in public again.

His role as Counsellor of State remains inactive, following the 2022 Parliamentary amendment that added the Princess Royal and Duchess of Edinburgh as eligible to step in for the monarch.

The change also stipulated that only “working members” of the Royal Family would be able to serve in this capacity.

Andrew’s two daughters, Princess Beatrice, 37, and Princess Eugenie, 35, are unaffected by last night’s statement.

They will retain their royal titles and will be able to join the Royal Family’s festive celebrations.

The King’s brother will remain at his lavish 30-room home, Royal Lodge on the Windsor Estate, as he has a private tenancy agreement with The Crown Estate, which is unaffected by issues relating to his honours and titles.

Charles had hoped to force his hand last year by cutting off his funding, but Andrew continues to fund the costly maintenance costs that are required to uphold his lease, which lasts until 2078.

Royal sources were keen to reiterate last night that Andrew had relinquished his titles voluntarily, but it is understood that he made that decision to avoid the King taking Parliamentary action.

The only way to remove a royal title is to go through Parliament and Charles was understood to be considering what response to take earlier on Friday as he and his top team were aware that his brother was beginning to overshadow the work of the wider Royal Family.

Andrew’s decision comes just days before the posthumous publication of Virginia Giuffre’s memoir, the woman who claimed she was forced to have sex with Andrew – an allegation the prince has repeatedly denied.

In an extract from the book, she described Andrew as an “entitled” prince who thought it was his “birthright” to sleep with her.

The publication of the memoir is likely to cast further attention on the Prince’s involvement with Ms Giuffre and Epstein.

Emails have also emerged that cast doubt on his claim in his BBC Newsnight interview that he ceased contact with Epstein after they met in New York in December 2010.

In newly published emails that Andrew is alleged to have written in 2011, the Duke tells Epstein, “we are in this together” and tells him to “keep in close touch”.

And it’s not the only scandal causing embarrassment for the Firm, as it has emerged that Andrew met the alleged “spymaster” at the centre of the China spy scandal three times and even invited Cai Qi for lunch at Buckingham Palace.
The duke has always denied claims that he had sex with Ms Giuffre, and he settled a civil case against her for £12 million with no admission of liability.