Prince Andrew gives up his titles

Prince Andrew’s humiliation is near-complete. He has tonight agreed to immediately stop using his Duke of York title after ‘discussion with The King,’ his family and ‘with His Majesty’s agreement.’ In a statement, Andrew said that ‘I have decided, as I always have, to put my duty to my family and country first.’ It comes after weeks of growing pressure about his links to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Andrew’s statement is short, concise and lacks any apology or contrition. It does, however, contain a reassertion of his innocence: ‘I vigorously deny the accusations against me’. He will remain a prince – but will cease using the title bestowed by his late mother, in accordance with the law set down by George V in 1917. His HRH status will remain in abeyance.

The move is clearly an attempt to protect the Royal Family from Andrew’s toxicity. He had already lost his role as a working royal in 2019, following his disastrous Newsnight interview. Shorn of his public prominence and stripped of his military titles, he had clung to the Order of the Garter and his status as Duke of York. Now, they too will go. He is barred from Christmas with the Royal Family in Sandringham – thought he is still expected to stay in his Windsor home, Royal Lodge, on which he has his own private lease which runs until 2078. Today’s move is historic: it is the first time that a royal prince has lost a dukedom since 1919, when one of Queen Victoria’s grandsons lost the title of Duke of Albany for fighting on the German side during the First World War.

The timing is telling. Next week will see the publication of a posthumous memoir from Virginia Giuffre, who had reached a financial settlement with Prince Andrew in February 2022. ‘They’re bricking it’, says one government aide. In her book, Giuffre describes three occasions where she alleges he had sex with her, including at Ghislaine Maxwell’s house in London. The upcoming publication follows newspaper claims last week that Andrew was in contact with Epstein much longer than he had told Newsnight. The intimate tone of an email Andrew is alleged to have sent – ‘We are in this together’ – also undermines attempts to suggest they were never close.

With questions mounting, the King, Prince William and their advisors have obviously had enough. Andrew’s statement suggests that the loss of his titles is his decision – but it is the Palace which will have pulled the trigger on the move. After years of endless embarrassments – from his love life to endless trips as ‘Airmiles Andy’ – the man formerly known as the Duke of York has finally exhausted his family’s patience.