Prince Andrew gives up all of his titles, including Duke of York and his Order of the Garter membership, as he’s banished from royal life after fresh string of scandals – while his ex-wife will also now be known as plain Sarah Ferguson

Prince Andrew has finally agreed to give up all his remaining titles after another week of damaging scandal.

Following pressure from the King, he has now reinstated his HRH title and all the honors he held, although he was stripped of public office due to the Epstein scandal and numerous ‘shady’ business dealings.

These include the title of Duke of York, membership of the Order of the Garter, the country’s oldest order of chivalry awarded for loyal service to the Crown, and the position of Grand Knight’s Cross of the Royal Victorian Order, also awarded to him by his late mother.

However, since he was born as the son of Queen Elizabeth, he will remain a Prince.

His ex-wife Sarah, Duchess of York, with whom he currently lives at the luxurious 30-bedroom Royal Lodge in Windsor, will also now be known simply as Sarah Ferguson.

In a statement released by Buckingham Palace, Andrew defended the allegations against him as unfounded but said: ‘In discussions with the King and my immediate and wider family, we have concluded that the ongoing allegations against me are a distraction from the work of Her Majesty and the Royal Family at the time. As always, I decided to prioritize my duty to my family and my country. I stand by my decision five years ago to stay away from public life.

‘With His Majesty’s approval, we think that I should now go one step further. Therefore, I will no longer use my title or the honors bestowed upon me. As I said before, I strongly deny the accusations against me.

There was a sense of relief at Buckingham Palace last night that the King’s brother had finally ‘fallen on his sword’.

King III. Charles during a meeting at the Australian High Commission in London yesterday

But there was also despair that the monarchy had to endure another week of scandal at the hands of the disgraced duke.

An exclusive worldwide report in The Mail on Sunday revealed that Andrew had only met convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein in December 2010 and had clearly lied when he broke the news that he would never do anything with him again.

The prince told the BBC he felt it was an ‘honourable’ thing to meet his friend face to face and never contacted him again.

But just 12 weeks later, the newspaper secretly emailed the billionaire predator the day after a photo of him with alleged teen sex victim Virginia Giuffre was published, saying “we are in this together” and that we need to “get through this”.

He concluded ad nauseam: ‘Otherwise stay in close contact and we’ll play some more soon!!!’

A knight of the Order of the Garter, he was signed ‘A, HRH The Duke of York, KG’.

In addition to the latest unwelcome revelation that Andrew invited the senior Chinese official at the center of the current Beijing spy case to Buckingham Palace for lunch in 2018, and the publication of the late Virginia Guiffre’s autobiography, the situation has led to crisis talks at Buckingham Palace.

However, the King conceded that he could not legally force Andrew out of his home and that he would continue to remain there.

The Prince has a leasehold lease with The Crown Estate, which is said to be ‘unaffected’ by issues surrounding his honors and titles.

Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson at the funeral of the Duchess of Kent in September 2025

The changes will come into force immediately and have been decided taking into account the fact that the Prince’s personal problems continue to be an ‘unwelcome distraction’ from the affairs of the wider Royal Family.

The Mail understands that the announcement was made in close consultation with the King, who has had a difficult relationship with his brother in recent years.

Her Majesty is said to be ‘delighted’ with this result.

Prince William was consulted as Prince of Wales, as were other family members such as Prince Edward and Princess Anne.

Sources said the duchess has used Sarah Ferguson in her professional capacity for many years and will do so in all other areas as well.

Andrew, Queen Elizabeth II He remains Elizabeth’s son. The title ‘Prince’ was coined by George V in 1917 and was adopted by Queen Elizabeth II. Complies with the Letters Patent updated by Elizabeth in 2012.

The title of duke will not be used and will not be considered a ‘renunciation’.

HRH title is already inactive. The Prince’s other Titles and Honors now join this.

Virginia Giuffre photographed with Prince Andrew and Ghislaine Maxwell in London in 2001

It is understood that the titles and positions of his daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie were ‘unaffected in any way’.

Buckingham Palace said his role as State Counselor was not ‘active’.

In limited and defined cases, two State Counselors act on behalf of the King.

Sources said the palace has already made it clear through Parliament in 2022 that Non-Working Members of the Royal Family will not be appointed in this capacity.

Sources have also officially confirmed – as previously revealed in the Mail – that Andrew has been banned from attending Christmas at Sandringham. Princess Beatrice and Eugenie can still attend.

Founded by Edward III in 1348, the Order of the Garter is Britain’s highest order of chivalry.

This is an honor highly valued by Andrew, and its removal is a serious blow to him.

The monarch could strip members of the order of their honor, but it is understood that Charles would prefer his brother to give up the title voluntarily.

One of the last people to be expelled from the Order of the Garter was Emperor Hirohito of Japan, following his country’s entry into World War II in 1941.