Prince Andrew will retain one major royal perk, despite losing all of his other titles. The former Duke of York has stepped back from royal life due to the ongoing fury at his connection to Jeffrey Epstein. He announced last night that he would no longer be using royal titles and honours, after discussions with King Charles and Prince William.
This includes the Duke of York title he has held since he married Sarah Ferguson in 1986, and being a member of the Order of the Garter, the highest order of chivalry. Palace sources have said he will no longer be invited to Christmas at Sandringham and will likely be banned from major royal events. Andrew will also remain a prince, and his daughters will remain princesses. These are titles they are born with and cannot be taken away. He will, however, be allowed to stay at Royal Lodge in Windsor, thanks to a “cast-iron” tenancy agreement lasting until 2078.
The 30-room home is a few miles from Windsor Castle and half a mile from the Wales family’s new home, Forest Lodge.
Andrew losing his titles comes after The Sun revealed he had lied about his last contact with Epstein during his 2019 Newsnight interview.
The prince said that he broke off contact with Epstein in November 2010, a few months after the financier finished his 18-month sentence for procuring a girl under the age of 18 for prostitution.
In fact, Andrew had emailed him in February 2011 saying: “Don’t worry about me! It would seem we are in this together and will have to rise above it. Otherwise keep in close touch and we’ll play some more soon!!!!”
The family of Virginia Guiffre, who alleged she was trafficked to have sex with Andrew on three occasions, has said the prince being stripped of titles is a “victory”.
They added: “This decisive action is a powerful step forward in our fight to bring Epstein and Maxwell’s child sex-trafficking network to justice. Further, we believe it is appropriate for King Charles to remove the title of Prince.
“This moment serves as a victory for Virginia, who consistently maintained he knows what happened, I know what happened… there’s only one of us telling the truth, and I know that’s me”.
