Prince Andrew, Duke of York, has announced he will cease using his remaining royal titles and honours, a decision made in close consultation with King Charles and Prince William. This dramatic development follows a fresh wave of controversy surrounding the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, his alleged contact with a Chinese spy, and persistent public pressure. The move marks a significant loss of status for Andrew, who stated that the continued accusations against him distract from the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family. This is believed to be the first instance in over a century that a senior royal has stopped using a dukedom.

Andrew’s statement, released through Buckingham Palace, indicated he would no longer use titles such as the Duke of York, the Earl of Inverness, and Baron Killyleagh, nor his Garter role as a Royal Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter. However, he technically retains these titles, as their formal removal would require an Act of Parliament, a process the Palace and government wish to avoid due to its potentially damaging public nature. He remains a prince by birth and eighth in the line of succession, though he will not be asked to fulfill the role of a Counsellor of State.

The decision was made just days before the posthumous publication of a memoir by Virginia Giuffre, who claimed Andrew forced her to have sex three times, including when she was 17, after being trafficked by Epstein. Andrew paid millions to settle a civil sexual assault case with Giuffre, while consistently denying her allegations. Further revelations included Andrew's name appearing on Epstein's private jet flight logs and an email where Andrew told Epstein, three months after claiming to have cut ties, that "we are in this together." Andrew had previously stepped down from public life in 2019 after a disastrous Newsnight interview and was stripped of his HRH style and military patronages by the Queen.

The impact extends to his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, who will revert to her maiden name, Sarah Ferguson, losing her courtesy title Sarah, Duchess of York. This change for Sarah also comes amidst revelations of her own controversial emails to Epstein, where she called him a "supreme friend" despite publicly disowning him. She had previously faced public criticism and was dropped by numerous charities after these emails emerged. Despite their separation over 30 years ago, Andrew and Sarah continue to share the Royal Lodge at Windsor, a 30-room Crown Estate property.

King Charles III has expressed a keen desire to protect Andrew’s daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie. Their titles and royal standing remain unaffected, as their father’s titles were relinquished from use rather than officially removed. Both princesses continue their charitable work, with Beatrice being an adviser for an AI firm and co-founder of a charitable trust, and Eugenie a patron of several charities and a director at an art gallery. They will continue to be welcome at royal family events, including Christmas at Sandringham, from which Andrew and Sarah will now be absent.

Reactions to Andrew's decision have been mixed. Sky Roberts, Virginia Giuffre’s brother, welcomed the move as vindication for his sister, but called for Andrew's honorary prince title to be revoked for "true justice." Anti-monarchist groups like Republic criticized the action as "too little, too late," demanding a criminal investigation and the stripping of all titles and navy ranks. The sequence of events leading to Andrew's relinquishment of titles underscores the monarchy's ongoing struggle to manage the scandals associated with the Duke, particularly as new information from the Epstein files continues to emerge.