Prince Andrew relinquishes royal title as expert calls move ‘essential’

Prince Andrew He relinquished his royal title on Friday, and experts believe it was a smart move by the British monarchy to ensure they are not “overshadowed by corruption”.

On Friday, Andrew issued a statement shortly after excerpts from his upcoming posthumous memoir were published Virginia Giuffrewhich alleged that Jeffrey Epstein was trafficked and had sex with Andrew when she was 17 years old.

“In discussion with the King and my immediate and wider family, we have concluded that the continued accusations against me distract from the work of His Majesty the King and the Royal Family,” a statement issued by the king, obtained by Fox News Digital, said. “I have decided, as I have always done, to put my duty to my family and my country first. I stand by my decision made five years ago to step away from public life.”

Prince Andrew gives up royal title with support from King Charles

Experts suggest that Prince William forced Prince Andrew out to protect the monarchy. (Getty Images)

The statement continued: “With the approval of His Majesty the King, we feel that I must now take another step forward.” “Therefore, I will no longer use my title or the honors given to me. As I said previously, I strongly deny the accusations against me.”

Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told Fox News Digital that it was important for the royal family to make this decision.

“It was necessary for this to happen. It quickly got to the point where corruption was overshadowing anything the monarchy did.”

—Richard Fitzwilliams, royal expert

“It was necessary for this to happen. It soon got to the point where corruption was overshadowing anything the monarchy did. And when the email arrived that proved he had lied about the timeline of his assassination, Links to Epstein It became public, and in a way it was inevitable.

Prince Andrew and Prince William in September 2025. (Max Mumbi/Indigo/Getty Images)

“Fortunately, Parliament was not involved, but public disgust would have reached the level it could have reached,” he said.

Fitzwilliams continued: “It should also enable him to pick up the threads of his life rather than clinging to honors he clearly does not deserve. He may protest his innocence, but when the polls show you have no popular support and have run out of options, you have no choice but to give up your title and the Order of the Garter.”

Prince Andrew has given up the title of Duke of York. Andrew’s title HRH has been inactive since 2019. (Steve Parsons/Getty Images)

The royal expert believes Andrew was “forced out”.

“I think he was forced out,” He and Sarah Ferguson Facing more scandal. They are, to paraphrase a phrase from his email to Epstein that would haunt Andrew, “in this together.” He concluded that the memoirs, which will be released posthumously next week, show that Virginia Giuffre achieved in death what she could not achieve in life.

Hilary Fordwich, an expert on the British royal family, told Fox News Digital that Andrew is trying to salvage his “last shred of honour.”

Prince Andrew said he gave up his royal title with the support of King Charles III. (Max Mumbi/Indigo/Getty Images)

“One would like to think he has finally done the decent thing, but with the outpouring of public anger towards him, this is really just an attempt to salvage the last bit of honor he might be capable of,” she said. “Although better late than never!”

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Fordwich continued: “He will never be seen in public again with senior royals. Prince William has been the force behind all of this and rightfully so. Prince William is looking long term for the viability, reputation and indeed existence of the monarchy.”

She noted that Andrew had caused more damage to the king than “all other scandals combined.”

“Prince William has been the driving force behind all of this and rightly so. Prince William has a long-term eye on the viability, reputation and indeed existence of the monarchy.”

– Hilary Fordich

A photo from 2001 included in court files shows Prince Andrew with his arm around the waist of 17-year-old Virginia Giuffre. (U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit)

“For him to not offer an apology is absolutely despicable! He should just disappear now and never be heard or seen again,” Fordwich said.

Royal expert Ian Pelham-Turner told Fox News Digital that Andrew’s release of his royal titles came before the book’s release, adding to speculation that “there’s no smoke without fire.”

He added: “The flames are rising around the entire royal family regarding this issue.”

Turner said: “The British people in general will be amazed by these stories, and I believe that King Charles pushed his brother to make this decision to protect the interests of the royal family from any further criticism.”

Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell have both been indicted on federal sex trafficking charges stemming from Epstein’s years of abusing underage girls. (Joe Schildhorn/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)

Royal expert Amanda Mata noted that Andrew has always denied the accusations against him.

“The denial today is difficult to accept, given the efforts the palace has now made to distance itself and the royal family from it,” she said.

“I don’t think giving up his conferred titles was Andrew’s idea. Otherwise why wouldn’t we have seen this action 5 years ago?” I continued. “His continued use of the word ‘prince’ also suggests to me that he views his birthright as more important than completely separating himself from the royal house.”

Mata said that this step was considered a “victory” for King Charles because he was able to cut off contact with his brother, a task that 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 is seen exiting the federal courthouse in New York in August 2019. (Jenna Moon/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Epstein’s right-hand woman recalled Ghislaine Maxwell He tells her to do what she did for the financier for the prince after dinner.

“Back home, Maxwell and Epstein said goodnight and headed upstairs, signaling that it was time to take care of the prince,” she wrote, according to an excerpt she posted. The Guardian. “In the years that followed, I thought a lot about how he acted. He was friendly enough, but still entitled — as if he thought having sex with me was his birthright.”

“I gave him a hot bath,” she continued. “We took off our clothes and got into the tub, but we didn’t stay there long because the prince was keen to get to the bed. He was particularly attentive to my feet, caressing my toes and licking my arches. It was my first time, and it was tickling. I was nervous that he wanted me to do the same to him. But there was no need to worry. He seemed in a hurry to have sex. After that, he said thank you In his clipped British accent. “In my memory, the whole thing took less than half an hour.”

Virginia Roberts Giuffre holds up a photo of herself as a teenager, when she claims 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 a good job. The prince had fun.’” Epstein will give me $15,000 to service the man the tabloids call “Randy Andy.”

Giuffre’s family issued a statement following news of Andrew losing his title, telling Fox News Digital: “We, a family… Virginia Roberts GiuffreWe believe Prince Andrew’s decision to relinquish his titles is a vindication for our sister and survivors everywhere. This decisive action is a strong step forward in our fight to bring Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s child sex trafficking ring to justice. “Furthermore, we believe it is appropriate for King Charles to remove the title of Prince.”

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“This moment is a victory for Virginia, who kept saying, ‘He knows what happened, I know what happened, and there’s only one of us telling the truth, and I know it’s me.’ This is a victory not only for her, but for every survivor of the horrific crimes committed by Epstein and his co-conspirators.”

Prince Andrew said he is putting his family and country first by giving up 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 king’s claim that he stopped contacting the millionaire in 2010.

“We hope that the days of impunity for the powerful are over, and that the protection of predators will no longer be tolerated,” the statement concluded. “We hope that a higher standard will be set for our leaders in office in the United States — a standard that 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 Lauren Overholtz contributed to this report.