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Prince Andrew relinquished his royal title on Friday and experts believe that this was a smart move by the British monarchy to ensure they aren’t “overshadowed by sleaze.”
On Friday, Andrew released a statement shortly after excerpts were published from an upcoming posthumous memoir by Virginia Giuffre, who has alleged she was trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein and had sex with Andrew when she was 17.
“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,” a statement released by the royal, and obtained by Fox News Digital, read. “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.”
PRINCE ANDREW GIVES UP ROYAL TITLE WITH KING CHARLES’ SUPPORT
Experts suggest Prince William forced Prince Andrew out to protect the monarchy. (Getty Images)
“With His Majesty’s agreement, we feel I must now go a step further,” the statement continued. “I will therefore no longer use my title or the honours which have been conferred upon me. As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me.”
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told Fox News Digital it was vital the royal family made this decision.
“It was essential that this happened. It would have soon got to the point where anything the monarchy did would have been overshadowed by sleaze.”
“It was essential that this happened. It would have soon got to the point where anything the monarchy did would have been overshadowed by sleaze. When the email which proved he lied about the timeline of his links with Epstein went public, this was inevitable in some form.
Prince Andrew and Prince William in Sept. 2025. (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
“Thankfully, Parliament was not involved, but public disgust could have reached the level that it could have been,” he said.
Fitzwilliams continued, “This should also enable him to pick up the strands of his life as opposed to clutching on to honours he obviously did not deserve. He may protest his innocence, but when polls show you have no popular support and your options have run out, you have no choice but to give up your title and the Order of the Garter.”
Prince Andrew has given up his Duke of York title. Andrew’s His Royal Highness title has been inactive since 2019. (Steve Parsons/Getty Images)
The royal expert believes that Andrew was “forced out.”
“I think he was forced out, he and Sarah Ferguson face much more scandal. They, to coin a phrase from his email to Epstein that will haunt Andrew, ‘are in it together.’ The posthumous memoir out next week shows that Virginia Giuffre achieved in death what she could not in life,” he concluded.
British royals expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox News Digital that Andrew is trying to salvage the “last bit of honor” he has.
Prince Andrew said he gave up his royal title with the support of King Charles III. (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
“One would like to think he is finally doing the decent thing, but with the avalanche of public outrage bowling towards him, this is really just trying to salvage the last bit of honor he possibly could,” she said. “Better late than never though!”
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Fordwich continued, “He will never be seen in public again with the senior royals. Prince William has been the force behind all of this and he is right. Prince William is looking far more long-term at the viability, reputation and indeed existence of the monarchy.”
She noted that Andrew had caused more harm to the monarch than “literally every other scandal combined.”
“Prince William has been the force behind all of this and he is right. Prince William is looking far more long-term at the viability, reputation and indeed existence of the monarchy.”
A photo from 2001 that was included in court files shows Prince Andrew with his arm around the waist of 17-year-old Virginia Giuffre. (U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals)
“His not offering an apology is beyond despicable! He should disappear completely now and never be heard of nor seen again,” Fordwich said.
Royal expert Ian Pelham Turner told Fox News Digital that Andrew releasing his royal titles came before the book was released, which adds to speculation that there is “no smoke without fire.”
“And the flames are rising around the entire Royal family over this issue,” he said.
“British people on the whole will be astonished by these stories and King Charles has pushed his brother, I feel, to make this decision to protect the Royal family interests from any further criticism,” Turner said.
Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell were both indicted on federal sex trafficking charges stemming from Epstein’s years of abuse of underage girls. (Joe Schildhorn/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
Royal expert Amanda Matta noted that Andrew has always denied the accusations made against him.
“The denial today is harder to stomach, given the lengths the Palace has now gone to distance itself and the wider royal family from him,” she said.
“I don’t believe that relinquishing his conferred titles would have been Andrew’s idea. Otherwise, why didn’t we see this action 5 years ago?” she continued. “His continued use of ‘Prince’ also suggests to me that he sees his birthright as more important than fully disassociating himself from the royal house.”
Matta said this move is seen as “a win” for King Charles as he was able to cut his brother off, which was a task Queen Elizabeth was unable to do.
In her upcoming memoir “Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice,” Giuffre claimed she had sex with Prince Andrew three times.
Virginia Giuffre was seen exiting from federal court in New York in Aug. 2019. (Jeenah Moon/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
She recalled Epstein’s right-hand lady Ghislaine Maxwell telling her to do what she did for the financier to the prince after dinner.
“Back at the house, Maxwell and Epstein said goodnight and headed upstairs, signaling it was time that I take care of the prince,” she wrote, according to an excerpt published by The Guardian. “In the years since, I’ve thought a lot about how he behaved. He was friendly enough, but still entitled – as if he believed having sex with me was his birthright.”
“I drew him a hot bath,” she continued. “We disrobed and got in the tub, but didn’t stay there long because the prince was eager to get to the bed. He was particularly attentive to my feet, caressing my toes and licking my arches. That was a first for me, and it tickled. I was nervous he would want me to do the same to him. But I needn’t have worried. He seemed in a rush to have intercourse. Afterward, he said thank you in his clipped British accent. In my memory, the whole thing lasted less than half an hour.”
Virginia Roberts Giuffre holds a photo of herself as a teen, when she alleges she was abused by Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell and Prince Andrew, among others. (Emily Michot/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
“The next morning, Maxwell told me: ‘You did well. The prince had fun.’ Epstein would give me $15,000 for servicing the man the tabloids called ‘Randy Andy.’”
Giuffre’s family released a statement following the news that Andrew lost his title, telling Fox News Digital: “We, the family of Virginia Roberts Giuffre, believe that Prince Andrew’s decision to give up his titles is vindication for our sister and survivors everywhere. This decisive action is a powerful step forward in our fight to bring Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s child sex-trafficking network to justice. Further, we believe it is appropriate for King Charles to remove the title of Prince.”
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“This moment serves as victory for Virginia, who consistently maintained, ‘He knows what happened, I know what happened, and there’s only one of us telling the truth, and I know that’s me.’ This is not just a victory for her, but for every single survivor of the horrific crimes perpetrated by Epstein and his co-conspirators.”
Prince Andrew said he was putting his family and country first by relinquishing his royal title. (Steve Parsons/Pool)
Giuffre’s family pointed to alleged emails that recently surfaced between Epstein and Prince Andrew from 2011, contradicting the royal’s claim he ceased contact with the multi-millionaire in 2010.
“We hope that the days of impunity for the powerful are over, and protection for predators will no longer be tolerated,” the statement concluded. “We hope a higher standard has been set for our leaders in office in the United States – one we will work tirelessly to follow here. It is time for accountability, transparency, and justice for all survivors.”
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Fox News Digital’s Lauryn Overhultz contributed to this report.
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