Prince Andrew will no longer use his Duke of York title following new details surrounding his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
“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,” a statement released by Prince Andrew read. “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,” the statement continued. “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 statement follows the publication of excerpts of Virginia Giuffre’s posthumous memoir, where she alleged she had sex with the royal.
In 2019, Prince Andrew stepped back from royal obligations. Discussing his relationship with Epstein, he told BBC, “I kick myself for on a daily basis because it was not something that was becoming of a member of the royal family, and we try and uphold the highest standards and practices and I let the side down, simple as that.”
When asked about staying at Epstein’s home, Prince Andrew said, “It was a convenient place to stay.”
“I mean I’ve gone through this in my mind so many times,” he said. “At the end of the day, with a benefit of all the hindsight that one can have, it was definitely the wrong thing to do.”
