ALBAWABA - Prince Andrew gives up royal title amid Epstein and spy scandals.
Prince Andrew has given up his title, the Duke of York. This marks the conclusion of his downfall, which started nearly six years ago with a dreadful TV interview exposing his connections to Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender.
Andrew said in a statement on Friday night that he would "no longer use my title or the honors that have been bestowed upon me" after talking about it with his older brother, King Charles III. I strongly deny the claims against me, as I have said before.
Britain's Prince Andrew, Duke of York (L) and Britain's King Charles III
The second son of Queen Elizabeth II, Andrew, is 65 years old. In 2019, he was laid off from his job because of the violent public backlash against him over the BBC interview and sexual misbehavior claims. More recently, he was caught up in a spying incident involving China.
The British royal family is once again in trouble because of a series of scams. British news outlets say that Charles, who had asked the queen to send Andrew into internal exile in 2019, seemed ready to take even harsher action this time. After speaking with his brothers, Andrew took action before they could.
"We have decided that the constant accusations against me take attention away from the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family," Andrew said in a short statement. "Like I always have, I have chosen to put my family and country first." I still stand by my choice to stay out of public life five years ago.
In the 2019 BBC interview, Andrew said that he had cut ties with Mr. Epstein, who had killed himself by hanging in his New York jail cell earlier that year. In 2010, the two men appeared together in New York. Things have come to light since then, though, that shows he kept in touch with Mr. Epstein after he said he had broken up with him.
Britain's Prince Andrew, Duke of York attends a Requiem Mass
After Virginia Giuffre, who had been a victim of Mr. Epstein's sex-trafficking ring, said that Andrew had raped her when she was a teenager, Andrew was stripped of his military titles in 2022. Andrew rejected the charge. He paid Ms. Giuffre an undisclosed amount to settle a case she filed against him in 2022, but he didn't admit guilt. This month, a book written by Ms. Giuffre, who killed herself in Australia in April, will be released. In it, she talks about how Mr. Epstein put her in touch with Andrew.
There is also a story involving Andrew and Chinese spying in Britain. It was found that he met several times with Cai Qi, a high-level Chinese official who is close to China's president, Xi Jinping.
Britain's Prince Andrew, Duke of York arrives to attend a Requiem Mass
It is thought that Mr. Cai got the information from two British men who worked with British Parliament members who were interested in Chinese issues. Two men were charged with spying, but the case was dropped. This incident has caused a political problem for Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The palace said in a meeting on Friday that Andrew will still be a prince even though he is the son of a king. During his marriage in 1986, his mother gave him the title of Duke of York. People who study history say that it is very uncommon for a royal family member to give up a title like that. As of 2020, Prince Harry stopped doing royal tasks and moved to the United States. He is still the Duke of Sussex.
The titles of Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie will stay with Andrew's children. But Sarah Ferguson, his ex-wife, will no longer use the title of Duchess of York, which she kept after they split up.
Andrew had stopped calling someone "His Royal Highness" already. Besides that, he had lost more than a dozen military titles, such as Colonel of the Grenadier Guards, a famous British Army fighting rank.
Even though Andrew was a shame, the queen still included him in family celebrations and traditions. He became more alone after she died in 2022, though. Officials at the palace say that Andrew will also not be allowed to join the family Christmas party at Sandringham in Norfolk, which is northeast of London. The royal calendar can't go without this event every year.
Andrew will still be able to live in the Royal Lodge, which is a grand royal home on the Windsor estate west of London. This is some small comfort. Royal fans have long thought that Charles would kick his brother out of the house. Officials at the palace said that Andrew had a private tenancy deal with the Crown Estate that would not change even though he stopped using his title.
Mark Landler is the head of The Times' London office. He writes about the UK and US foreign policy in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. He's been a reporter for over 30 years.
