The British royal family has been rocked by another seismic development as Prince Andrew, the King's younger brother and once a prominent royal, has relinquished his Duke of York title and a host of other honors. The move, announced on October 19, 2025, comes in the wake of mounting scandals, renewed scrutiny of his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and the imminent publication of a posthumous memoir by his accuser, Virginia Giuffre.
Andrew, now 65, declared he would no longer use the Duke of York title—bestowed upon him by Queen Elizabeth II nearly four decades ago—nor the Knight of the Garter (KG) honorific, or other prestigious royal titles. "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," Andrew said in a statement released through the Royal Family's channels. "With His Majesty’s agreement, we feel I must now go a step further. I will therefore no longer use my title or the honours which have been conferred upon me," he continued, adding that the ongoing accusations against him "distracted" the royal family. He also maintained his innocence, stating he would "vigorously deny the accusations" leveled against him, according to Al Jazeera.
This decision marks a dramatic fall from grace for a man who, not so long ago, was one of the most visible members of the royal family. Andrew, the second son and third child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, was once celebrated for his military service as a Royal Navy helicopter pilot during the 1982 Falklands War. He was also widely regarded as the late queen’s "favorite" child, according to BBC reporting. However, the prince’s reputation has been steadily eroded by a series of scandals, the most damaging of which stemmed from his relationship with Epstein and the allegations by Giuffre.
Giuffre, who died by suicide in April 2025 at the age of 41, had accused Andrew of raping her after being trafficked by Epstein. She claimed she was forced to have sex with Andrew on three occasions when she was 17, a minor under US law. Andrew has consistently denied these allegations, even insisting that a now-infamous photograph showing them together was doctored. Still, in 2022, he settled a civil sexual assault case with Giuffre, reportedly paying her about £12 million ($16 million), an arrangement that caused widespread public backlash over the possible use of UK taxpayers’ money, as reported by The Guardian.
The prince’s ties to Epstein date back to 1999, but their relationship first drew public attention in 2011 when photographs of Andrew with Epstein and Giuffre surfaced. Epstein, already a convicted sex offender, was later charged with federal sex trafficking and died by suicide in a US prison in 2019 while awaiting trial. Andrew’s own position became increasingly untenable after a disastrous 2019 interview on BBC’s Newsnight, in which he failed to convincingly rebut Giuffre’s allegations and appeared oblivious to the suffering of Epstein’s victims. Days later, he was forced to step back from royal duties, expressing regret for his friendship with Epstein.
Further revelations have continued to dog the prince. In September 2025, the release of new Epstein files once again thrust Andrew’s connections into the spotlight. On October 14, 2025, the US House Oversight Committee released documents from Epstein’s estate showing "Prince Andrew" listed as a passenger on Epstein’s private jet, the so-called "Lolita Express," in 2006. According to reporting by Reuters, Andrew was also listed on another flight to West Palm Beach, Florida, in 2000, and is known to have stayed at Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse and private Caribbean island. Epstein’s close associate, Ghislaine Maxwell—now serving 20 years in prison for sex trafficking—helped facilitate Andrew’s introduction to Epstein’s network.
Giuffre’s posthumous memoir, Nobody’s Girl, is set for release on October 21, 2025. In excerpts published by several media organizations, Giuffre writes that Andrew believed sex with her was his "birthright." She recounts a meeting in London, saying, "Back at the house, [Ghislaine] Maxwell and Epstein said goodnight and headed upstairs, signalling it was time that I take care of the prince. 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. 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." Giuffre also wrote, "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'." Her family has called Andrew’s decision to relinquish his titles "vindication for Virginia" and for survivors everywhere, and have urged King Charles to go further by removing Andrew’s princely status.
The loss of his titles is not merely symbolic. Andrew will no longer sign off as the Duke of York, nor append "KG" after his name. Other titles given to him on his wedding day—the Earl of Inverness and Baron Killyleagh—will also become dormant. His ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, will no longer use her Duchess of York title, though their daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, retain their own titles. Andrew and Ferguson continue to reside in the 30-room Royal Lodge mansion near Windsor Castle, a Grade II-listed property leased from the Crown Estate. However, King Charles has reportedly urged Andrew to vacate the estate for a more modest residence, according to The Times.
In addition to the Epstein scandal, Andrew has faced criticism for his associations with controversial international figures. In December 2024, his relationship with Yang Tengbo, a suspected Chinese spy, came to light. It also emerged that Andrew had met at least three times in 2018 and 2019—including at Buckingham Palace—with Cai Qi, a senior Chinese official suspected of espionage against the British government. While Andrew has not been accused of criminal wrongdoing in these matters, the associations have further tarnished his reputation and brought unwelcome attention to the royal family.
The final decision for Andrew to voluntarily surrender his titles came after discussions with King Charles III, who reportedly insisted on the move to avoid the potentially more humiliating outcome of having Andrew stripped of his peerage by an Act of Parliament. For now, Andrew retains the title of prince as a birthright, but his public role has all but vanished.
The saga of Prince Andrew’s downfall is a cautionary tale of privilege, scandal, and the consequences of personal choices. Even as he clings to the last vestiges of his royal status, his story serves as a stark reminder that no one, not even a prince, is immune from accountability when the weight of evidence and public opinion turns against them.
