Britain’s Prince Andrew announced on Friday that he would renounce using his title as Duke of York after years of public criticism over his behavior and links to deceased American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Andrew, younger brother of King Charles III and second son of the late Queen Elizabeth II, has faced increasing scrutiny in recent years, largely due to his association with Epstein.
Adding to the controversies, a court ruling last year revealed that the British government believed one of Andrew’s closest business partners was a Chinese spy. The prince said at the time that he had cut off all contact with the individual.
In a statement on Friday, Andrew said that “the continued allegations about me” had become a distraction for his brother and the wider royal family.
“I have decided, as always, to put my duty to my family and my country first. I stand by my decision five years ago to step away from public life,” he said.
“With Your Majesty’s agreement, we feel that I must now take a further step. Therefore, I will no longer use the title and honors that have been conferred on me. As I have said previously, I strongly deny the allegations against me.”
Her decision to relinquish the title reportedly came after conversations with senior members of the royal family. A royal source said the king was pleased with the result.
Andrew, 65, eighth in line to the throne, was once celebrated as a handsome naval officer and served during the Falklands War in the early 1980s. However, his public image began to decline after he resigned as UK trade ambassador in 2011.
According to Reuters, he subsequently retired from royal duties in 2019 and was stripped of his military titles and royal patronages in 2022 amid allegations of sexual misconduct, which he has consistently denied.
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That same year, Andrew settled a lawsuit brought by Virginia Giuffre, who accused him of sexually abusing her when she was a teenager. Giuffre, who died in April, detailed her experiences in a recently published memoir, reviving attention on the case.
In her book, she said Andrew believed it was his birthright to have sex with her, according to extracts published by The Guardian newspaper.
“Things are just not going to go away,” royal biographer Robert Hardman told BBC TV. “And I think the palace has decided, and Prince Andrew has agreed, that there really needs to be more separation.
“He wants to appear proactive and try to regain some dignity from this.”
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