Prince Andrew gives up royal titles including Duke of York after ‘discussion with king’ | UK news
Prince Andrew has agreed to give up using the title of Duke of York, Buckingham Palace said in a statement.
He will also renounce his membership in the Order of the Garter, meaning his only remaining title will be that of prince, which cannot be removed because he was born the son of a queen.
He said in a statement: “In discussions with the King and my immediate family, we have concluded that the ongoing allegations against me have distracted from the work of Her Majesty and the royal family. As always, I have decided to put my duty to my family and my country first. I stand by my decision five years ago to stay away from public life.”
“With His Majesty’s approval, we think that I must now go one step further. Therefore, I will no longer use my title or the honors bestowed upon me. As I have said before, I strongly deny the accusations against me.”
Technically, Andrew will retain the dukedom, which can only be removed by act of parliament, but will not use it. In fact, the title still exists, like the title of HRH (His Highness), but is not active. He will also relinquish his title of Grand Knight Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO).
The decision is understood to have been taken in close consultation with his brother, King Charles, and taking into account the fact that his personal problems continue to be an unwelcome distraction from the affairs of the royal family.
It seems that the king was pleased with the result. The Prince of Wales was also consulted, along with other family members.
Andrew’s ex-wife, Sarah, Duchess of York, will also not use this title and will be referred to only as Sarah Ferguson. The titles of their two daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, will not be affected.
The deal was struck after high-level meetings at Buckingham Palace, where aides said they had finally reached a “turning point”.
It is understood there is “anxiety” and “anxiety” within the royal family that the constant headlines could lead to serious reputational risk for the monarchy.
The allegations against Andrew relate to the latest details of his relationship with late child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his relationship with a prominent figure involved in the Chinese espionage case.
This week the Guardian published extracts from posthumous memoirs by Andrew’s accuser, Virginia Giuffre, who died by suicide in April aged 41. In the book, she claimed the prince “believed it was his birthright to have sex with me.” Andrew has always denied claims he had sex with Giuffre when she was 17, and settled a civil lawsuit with her for £12 million, without admitting any liability.
In her book, Giuffre describes her meetings with Andrew in detail. In one passage he describes what he says happened one evening in London.
“When we returned home, [Ghislaine] Maxwell and Epstein said good night and went upstairs, signaling that it was time to deal with the prince. In the years since, I’ve thought a lot about how he acted. He was friendly enough, but he still had a point; It was as if he believed it was his birthright to have sex with me.
“He seemed to be in a hurry to engage. He then said thank you in that clipped British accent. From my memory the whole thing lasted less than half an hour.”
“The next morning Maxwell said to me: ‘You did a good job. The prince had fun.’ “Epstein would give me $15,000 for providing services to the man the tabloids called ‘Randy Andy’.”
It was also reported that Andrew. meetings held With Cai Qi, a member of China’s ruling politburo, in 2018 and 2019. Cai was suspected of being the recipient of sensitive information allegedly transferred to China by two British citizens accused of spying for Beijing. The case against Christopher Berry and Christopher Cash was recently dropped by the CPS and they both denied the offences.
The forced removal of Andrew’s duchy by an act of parliament would have had the support of the government and the public, with the king’s support, but the palace is understood to have hoped that Andrew would voluntarily give up his title. The Order of the Garter, the highest knightly honour, could be abolished by Charles.
Andrew’s military titles and charitable affiliations have already been revoked and he has been banned from using his HRH title.
Rachael Maskell, Labor MP for York Central, called for a change in the law in light of the Andrew news.
The bill, which Maskell had previously proposed, would give the king the power to remove titles on his own initiative or on the advice of a joint parliamentary committee.
Maskell said on Friday night: “As we try to change the law through the repeal of the land title bill, I think now is the time for this legislation.”
Emails recently published by the Mail on Sunday appeared to show Andrew contacted Epstein at a later time than he claimed in his Newsnight interview with Emily Maitlis.
Andrew told the BBC’s Newsnight program in 2019 that he broke off his friendship with Epstein in December 2010 after the two men were photographed walking together in New York.
But in a message to Epstein after the photo was published, she wrote: “I’m worried about you too! Don’t worry about me! Looks like we’re in this together and we’ll have to get through this. Otherwise, stay in close contact and we’ll play some more soon!!!!”
He is said to have signed: “A, HRH The Duke of York, KG.”
Epstein was found dead in his cell at a federal prison in Manhattan in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. It was stated that the death was suicide.
In 2008, he pleaded guilty to charges of promoting prostitution and encouraging a minor to engage in prostitution and was sentenced to prison.
