Prince Andrew lost his Duke of York title on Friday due to his association with convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
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The 65-year-old duke stated he relinquished his titles to avoid distraction, as new allegations of his alleged sex abuse of a minor surfaced this week.
“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,” Prince Andrew explained in a statement released Friday by Buckingham Palace, via ABC News.
“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,” he added.
The duke surrendered his titles after new excerpts were published this week from a posthumous memoir by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who alleged Epstein trafficked her to have sex with Andrew when she was 17.
Prince Andrew maintains that he did not sexually abuse Giuffre.
“As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me,” he insisted in the statement.
Posthumous Memoir Graphically Describes Prince Andrew’s Alleged Encounter with Virginia Giuffre
Giuffre’s memoir excerpts, published Wednesday by The Guardian, state she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew at Ghislaine Maxwell’s home.
She claimed in the book that Prince Andrew was “entitled, as if he believed having sex with me was his birthright.”
In her book, Nobody’s Girl, Giuffre details three alleged sexual encounters with Prince Andrew, including one at Maxwell’s London home in 2001 when she was 17. Giuffre described drawing him a bath, stating he “licked” her feet and “seemed in a rush to have intercourse” before saying “thank you in his clipped British accent.”
Epstein and Giuffre previously settled a civil lawsuit for $500,000 in 2009. Giuffre died by suicide in April at age 41. Epstein also allegedly died by suicide in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan in August 2019. He was 66. In 2021, Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted of child sex trafficking and other offenses related to Epstein.
Meanwhile, Prince Andrew can still reside at his 31-bedroom Royal Lodge near Windsor Castle, as he has a tenancy agreement in place until 2078, despite having surrendered his titles. He remains eighth in line to the throne and also retains his title as Prince Andrew, being the son of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
He will no longer use the “His Royal Highness” title and must give up all royal patronages and official duties, including supporting charities or organizations under his name.