Rabat- In an official statement on October 17, the United Kingdom’s Prince Andrew shared that through “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. … I will therefore no longer use my title or the honours which have been conferred upon me.”
Continued relentless accusations regarding Andrew’s involvement in the Epstein scandal have pushed him to give up his titles as the Duke of York and Knight of the Garter. Additionally, he will no longer be addressed as “His Royal Highness.”
This comes amidst a plethora of new information, lawsuits, and victim testimonies, which have further condemned Andrew.
The prince was stripped of most of his royal duties in 2022 when his involvement with Jeffrey Epstein – American financier and convicted child sex offender – came to light. The prince’s companionship with Epstein attracted allegations of his participation in sexual abuse of underage girls.
Andrew stated in an interview with the BBC Newsnight in 2019 that his friendship with Epstein ended in 2010 after he was proven guilty of sexual abuse of minors. But leaked emails showed that the two maintained contact despite Epstein’s charges, putting Andrew under further scrutiny.
One of Epstein’s victims, Virginia Giuffre, alleged that Epstein trafficked her to Andrew, who repeatedly raped her, including when she was 17-years-old. Giuffre died at the age of 41 in April by suicide, caused by her emotional struggles from the past abuse. Although Andrew paid millions of dollars to settle her lawsuit in 2022 over sexual insults, he continuously denies any sexual charges against him, stating “I vigorously deny the accusations against me.”
Andrew’s giving up of his titles came just days before Guiffre’s posthumous memoir was released, which recounted her abuse at the hands of Epstein and his conspirators.
Andrew remains the favorite son of the late queen and maintains his birthright title of being a prince.
The accusations continue to attract wide public outrage and dissatisfaction with Andrew’s actions. The public claims that such incidents are harming the reputation of the monarchy, asking for further penalties such as the removal of his title as prince, or even exile.
The disgraced prince is one of many global elites who has been accused of participating in Epstein’s sex trafficking of minors. In September, incriminating and lewd letters between US President Donald Trump and Epstein were released by a US Congressional committee fighting for transparency regarding the Epstein files.
