Prince Andrew will put all his titles ‘in abeyance’, it is understood. Photo / UK Press via Getty Images
Prince Andrew has agreed with the King to give up all of his titles, including the Duke of York, saying “continued accusations” against him have become a distraction.
The development, first revealed by The Telegraph, follows a string of new scandals concerning the Royal’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and his relationship with an alleged Chinese spy.
In a statement released by Buckingham Palace, Prince Andrew 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 decision to put all of his titles “in abeyance” was prompted by huge pressure from the King.
The Prince will also give up his membership of the Order of the Garter but will however, remain a prince, having been born the son of Elizabeth II.
His ex-wife, Sarah, Duchess of York, will also relinquish her title and will simply be known as Sarah Ferguson.
The agreement was made following high-level meetings at Buckingham Palace as aides finally reached “tipping point”.
After days of yet more revelations that threatened the reputation of the monarchy, the King was finally prepared to press the nuclear button.
Until now, the palace had resisted taking such punitive action but felt its hand had finally been forced.
Aides are aware that there are likely to be far more revelations to come concerning the Duke’s relationship with Epstein, the late paedophile and financier.
The change in tack also came after The Telegraph revealed on Thursday that the Duke had held meetings with Cai Qi, the top Chinese official at the centre of the Beijing spy case, on at least three occasions from 2018 to 2019. He also invited him to Buckingham Palace for lunch in 2018.
Just days previously, leaked emails showed that the Duke stayed in touch with Epstein longer than he had claimed, raising questions about what else he may have lied about.
The Duke said in his Newsnight interview in 2019 that he had cut off contact with Epstein in December 2010. But just days after a photograph was published in 2011 showing the Duke with his arm around Virginia Giuffre, the late sex trafficking victim, he contacted Epstein to express concerns for his welfare, adding that they were “in this together”.
Just days ago, royal aides were suggesting that they had done all they could to punish the errant Duke, with the removal of his titles considered a step too far, despite public support for the move.
The Duke has already been stripped of his military titles and charity affiliations and is banned from using his much-cherished HRH honorific.
To remove his last remaining title, the Dukedom, would require intervention from Parliament but a YouGov poll published this summer suggested that 67% of people support the idea.
A more palatable option for all concerned was to pressure the Duke to do the “honourable” thing and give it up voluntarily.
Palace aides note that he will still be a Prince – a title he was born with as the son of a monarch and one which, crucially, most view as superior.
But such a move will come as a hugely personal and punitive blow to Prince Andrew, who has long revelled in the kudos that his titles bring.
Until now, he had also clung on to his membership of the prestigious Order of the Garter, the UK’s highest chivalric honour.
Palace aides have previously noted that the small number of people – 40 in total – who have had titles removed in disgrace over the last six centuries have been found guilty of a serious charge, such as heresy or treason. They include Benito Mussolini, Robert Mugabe and Nicolae Ceausescu.
While the Duke’s alleged crimes are not considered comparable, aides knew they needed to be seen to take drastic action, to send a signal that such behaviour was not acceptable.
- Agence France-Presse