Prince Andrew has dropped all of his royal titles as King Charles is reported to be at ‘tipping point’ with his brother over the Jeffrey Epstein scandal
Prince Andrew has relinquished all of his royal titles in a landmark decision which will have raised questions about his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson.
Andrew said in a statement released this evening that, following a discussion with King Charles III and their “immediate wider family”, it was concluded that the “continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family”. As a result, he said he had decided to “no longer use my title or the honours which have been conferred upon me”.
The decision will have immediately sparked questions from the public about Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, whose titles are also set to change.
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The former Duchess of York will be known as Sarah Ferguson in an official capacity, according to The Telegraph. The move means that she is relinquishing her now decades-old title, which was issued to her on the day of her wedding to Prince Andrew, then the Duke of York.
Fergie was dropped from all of her private charity patronages last month when emails emerged that she sent to Epstein following his conviction, were she praised him for always being “a steadfast, generous and supreme friend”.
The disgraced prince will give up his titles after coming under huge pressure from the King, with reports suggesting the string of scandals concerning him pushed the monarch to breaking point. Recent scandals include new reports about his relationship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, and with an alleged Chinese spy.
The prince said in his now infamous 2019 Newsnight interview that he had cut contact with Epstein in December 2010. But in an email exchange dated February 28 2011, Andrew reportedly told him they would “have to rise above it”.
The correspondance is said to have taken place a day after the emergence of the now-infamous photo depicting Andrew with Ms Giuffre. He allegedly suggested in the email – said to have been sent from his official account – that the two would “play together soon”.
Andrew was accused of having sex with Ms Giuffre, one of Epstein’s victims, who claimed she was just 17 at the time. Andrew, who had always denied the allegations, reached an out-of-court settlement in 2022 worth £12million to halt a civil trial with Ms Giuffre taking place in the United States. The settlement did not include an admission of guilt.
Andrew’s titles will be placed in “abeyance” following pressure from the King, and he will be forced to give up his membership of the Order of the Garter.
The decision won’t impact his princely title, meaning he will continue to be known as Prince Andrew, a title conferred onto him as birth as the son of Queen Elizabeth II.
