Prince Andrew said in a statement on Friday that he is giving up his royal titles, including Duke of York, after his links to late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein returned to the headlines.
“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. 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,” Andrew said in a statement released by Buckingham Palace.
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“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 younger brother of King Charles III added.
He will still be referred to as a prince, but he will no longer carry the Duke of York title, which was bestowed upon him by his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
This comes as excerpts have been published of an upcoming posthumous memoir from Virginia Giuffre, who has alleged she was trafficked by Epstein and had sex with Andrew when she was 17.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
—With a file from The Associated Press
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