Buckingham Palace has stripped Prince Andrew of his title after a year of embarrassing sex allegations linked to Jeffrey Epstein.
“Prince Andrew will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor,” the statement said. “These censures are considered necessary despite the fact that he continues to deny the charges brought against him. Their Majesties wish to make clear that their thoughts and utmost sympathies have been and will remain victims and survivors of all forms of violence.”
The move comes amid years of outrage over ties between Andrew and Epstein. Andrew denies any wrongdoing but has been banned from his posts for several years.
Andrew stepped away from the spotlight after being linked to the infamous late billionaire financier. This month Andrey publicly stated he will not use his title or honors, further distancing himself from the royal family.
“With His Majesty's consent, we believe that I must now take another step forward,” he said in a statement on October 17. statement released by Buckingham Palace. “In discussions with the King and my immediate family, we have agreed that the ongoing allegations against me are a distraction from the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family.”
Andrew continued to deny the allegations. But the royal family's decision to strip him of his titles after emails emerged suggesting he had been in contact with Epstein for longer than he had previously admitted is a major consequence for the King's younger brother Charles III, who has had questions about his relationship with Epstein.
Andrew is facing allegations that he had sex with Virginia Giuffre, who said Epstein trafficked her when she was 17. Giuffre sued Andrew and they reached an out-of-court settlement in 2022, but Andrew did not admit to any wrongdoing.
Guiffre died this year at the age of 41. After her death, her book Nobody's Girl was published, in which she claimed that Andrew acted as if “having sex with me was his birthright.”
In the book, she also claimed that Andrew's team hired internet trolls to harass her.
