A stunning statement from the British royal family on Friday revealed that Andrew, the younger son of Queen Elizabeth, is giving up any and all use of any and all of his royal titles or honors.
The statement left unclear whether the honors were being stripped from him, or whether he was just relinquishing using them.
According to reports he will give up using Duke of York and the Order of the Garter, after the scandal over his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein revived.
The statement said, “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. 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.”
His connections to Epstein, who died in jail several years ago while awaiting further sex charges, erupted into the headlines when Virginia Giuffre in 2014 alleged that, as a 17-year-old, she was sex trafficked to him.
The scandal’s staying power prompted him to resign from public roles in May 2020, and his honorary military affiliations and royal charitable patronages were removed by the Queen Elizabeth in 2022.
Giuffre sued, and settled out of court for millions.
BREAKING: Prince Andrew has surrendered all his royal titles, including his title as Duke of York. pic.twitter.com/cJu3cU0pkX
BREAKING – IT’S OFFICIAL! Prince Andrew has announced that he will no longer be using his title. Whether he’s officially given them back to His Majesty is not totally clear in this statement. But this is HUGE! It puts a lot of pressure now on Harry and Meghan. pic.twitter.com/UBej6vXylJ
Bob Unruh joined WND in 2006 after nearly three decades with the Associated Press, as well as several Upper Midwest newspapers, where he covered everything from legislative battles and sports to tornadoes and homicidal survivalists. He is currently a news editor for the WND News Center, and also a photographer whose scenic work has been used commercially. Read more of Bob Unruh’s articles here.
