London (AFP) –Prince AndrewHe announced Friday that he will give up his royal title of Duke of York and other honors after his friendship with a sex offenderJeffrey EpsteinIt’s back in the headlines.
In a statement issued by Buckingham Palace, Prince Andrew said that King Charles III’s younger brother said that he and the royal family had decided that “the continuing accusations against me distract from the work of His Majesty the King and the Royal Family.”
It comes as excerpts have been published from a forthcoming posthumous memoir from Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who claimed Epstein trafficked her and had sex with Andrew when she was 17 years old.
Andrew, 65, stepped down from public life in 2019, but denied any wrongdoing.
“With His Majesty’s approval, we feel that I must now take a step forward. Therefore, I will no longer use my title or the honors bestowed upon me. As I said previously, I strongly deny the accusations against me,” he said in a statement on Friday.
Giuffre died by suicide in April at the age of 41. In her memoir, she spoke of alleged encounters with Prince Andrew, whom she sued in 2021, claiming they had sex when she was 17 years old. Andrew denied her allegations He said he did not remember meeting her.
Andrew, who was previously second in line to the British throne, has long been a source of tabloid news due to his links to Epstein and other questionable figures and financial problems.
His attempt to refute Joffrey’s claimsBackfireDuring an interview with the BBC in November 2019. Viewers saw Prince offer outlandish rebuttals — such as casting doubt on Giuffre’s memories of sweaty dancing by saying he was medically unable to sweat — and show no sympathy for the women who said Epstein abused them.
Within days of the interview, Andrew He stepped down from his royal duties. Joffre sued him, and that was the case settle In 2022 for an undisclosed amount. A statement submitted to the court said the prince admitted that Epstein was a sex trafficker and that Giuffre was a “victim of abuse.”
In addition to no longer being known as the Duke of York, Andrew will also give up other titles: Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order and Royal Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter.
He will remain a prince, which is what he has the right to do since birth.