UK Government Faces Pressure To Strip Prince Andrew’s Titles

LONDON (AP) — He will no longer call himself a duke, but for many of Prince Andrew’s critics, that’s not enough.

Buckingham Palace and the British government were under pressure to officially undress on Monday Prince Andrew She was given the scoop on her noble title and stately home after new revelations about her relationship with convicted sex offender jeffrey epstein.

After arguing with his older brother King Charles III, Andrew agreed to stop using on Friday Titles including Duke of York. It was the last effort to insulate the monarchy from years of tension. vulgar headlines About Andrew’s questionable business dealings, inappropriate behavior and questionable friendships.

But technically she is still her late mother, Queen Elizabeth II. He retains the title of duke bestowed by Elizabeth. And as the son of a ruler, he remains a prince.

Andrew’s announcement that he was relinquishing some of his royal titles came after emails emerged that showed he remained in contact with Epstein for longer than he had previously admitted, and days before the posthumous publication of his memoir by Epstein’s accuser. Virginia Roberts GiuffreThe person who claimed to have had sex with Andrew when she was 17 years old.

Giuffre’s sister, Sky Roberts, called on the king to go further and “remove the title of prince as well.”

“He shouldn’t be able to call himself that,” Roberts told The Times of London newspaper.

65-year-old Andrew has been He denied Giuffre’s claimsHowever resigned from royal duties After his disastrous BBC interview in November 2019, in which he attempted to refute her claims.

Many viewers saw an entitled prince who failed to show empathy for Epstein’s victims and offered unbelievable accounts of his friendship with the late sex offender.

Andrew paid millions out of court settlement In 2022, after Giuffre filed a civil lawsuit against him in New York.

Although he did not admit wrongdoing, he acknowledged that Giuffre had suffered as a victim of sex trafficking.

Some opposition politicians have said Andrew should be formally removed from the dukedom by an act of Parliament.

Scottish National Party MP Stephen Flynn said the government should use the law to remove both Andrew’s and Andrew’s titles. Peter MandelsonHe is a member of the House of Lords who was sacked as Britain’s ambassador to Washington in September over his past friendship with Epstein.

“Virginia Giuffre’s family is outraged and horrified after her life was devastated,” said Flynn. “The people on these islands are angry and confused, and both deserve to know that some (members of Parliament) share their anger.”

The government said it supported the palace’s decision on Andrew’s titles but should not act unilaterally. Under the United Kingdom’s constitutional monarchy, the crown does not interfere in politics and politicians stay away from matters related to the royal family.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson told the BBC: “Our thoughts must be with the victims of Jeffrey Epstein and those who have suffered and continue to suffer as a result of his abuse, but these are matters for the royal family.”

Some are also calling for Andrew to be evicted from Royal Lodge, the 30-room mansion near Windsor Castle where he lives with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, who will no longer be known as the Duchess of York.

Questions have been raised about how Andrew paid for the house, which he rented on a long lease from the Crown Estate, a portfolio of properties nominally owned but not controlled by the monarch.

As the king prepares for more embarrassing revelations, the palace prepares for more embarrassing revelations State visit to the Vatican this week he will pray alongside Pope Leo XIV.

Giuffre’s book, “Nobody’s Daughter,” was released Tuesday and details three alleged sexual encounters with Andrew. He died by suicide in April at the age of 41.

In a previously released excerpt, Giuffre says the prince acted as if he believed “having sex with me was his birthright.”

Giuffre also claims in the book that Andrew’s team tried to “recruit internet trolls to harass me.” He said Andrew had insisted the lawsuit settlement include a one-year speech ban to prevent the allegations from tarnishing the late queen’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022.

London’s Metropolitan Police Service, meanwhile, said it was “actively reviewing” media reports that Andrew sought information to defame Giuffre in 2011 by asking one of her police bodyguards to find out if she had a criminal record.