Disgraced Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson will lose their royal titles.
The Telegraph reported that the former Duke of York agreed on Friday that “ongoing accusations” about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein would “disturb the work of Her Majesty and the Royal Family”.
“As always, I have decided to put my duty to my family and country first,” he said in a statement released by Buckingham Palace on Friday. “I stand by my decision five years ago to withdraw from public life.”
But Andrew added: “With His Majesty’s consent, I feel we must go a step further. Therefore, I will no longer use my title or the honors bestowed upon me.”
“As I have stated previously, I strongly deny the charges against me,” he continued.
Mr Andrew said the decision was made following “discussions with (his brother Charles III) and (their) immediate family and wider family”.
Ms Ferguson was married to Mr Andrew from 1986 to 1996 and will no longer hold the title Duchess of York.
The 66-year-old has yet to speak out on this latest development.
Page Six can confirm that the former couple’s daughters, Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice, are unaffected by their father’s title change.
Specifically, Andrew was stripped of his military titles, royal patronage and use of the style “His Royal Highness” in January 2022, three years after stepping back from royal duties.
Regardless of Friday’s update, Andrew is still a prince because he is Queen Elizabeth II’s son.
The palace said the beleaguered royal family will continue to live in their Royal Lodge residence as they have a “private tenancy agreement with the Crown Estate”.
Andrew stepped back from public roles in the royal family in 2019 after a headline-grabbing interview about his relationship with Epstein.
Two years later, Virginia Giuffre accused Andrew of sexual assault, which he denied, and the legal battle was settled out of court the following year. Giuffre died by suicide in April at the age of 41.
The news comes as renewed interest in Andrew’s alleged relationship with Epstein comes in the wake of the impending release of Guiffre’s posthumous memoir, Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice, which will be released on October 21.
Meanwhile, Mr Ferguson was recently fired from children’s hospice charity Julia’s House after emails apologizing to Mr Epstein were revealed by the Daily Mail last month. “Following information shared this weekend about the Duchess of York’s interactions with Jeffrey Epstein, House Julia has decided that it would be inappropriate for her to remain a patron of the charity,” the charity said in a statement.
In a 2011 email, Mr. Ferguson called Mr. Epstein a “steadfast, generous and best friend” and wrote: “I have been advised in no uncertain terms not to have anything to do with you and not to speak or email you. If I do, I will cause further problems for you (Prince Andrew) and myself.” A representative for Mr Ferguson told the Daily Mail that he had been advised to try to “de-escalate Mr Epstein and his threats”.
