Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie will remain unaffected by Prince Andrew’s decision to relinquish his remaining royal titles and roles. Shared in a newly-released statement, Andrew revealed that he will give up his titles, including his Dukedom of York, with immediate effect.
His ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, who was known as Sarah, Duchess of York, has also given up her royal title. In his statement, Andrew said: “In 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 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.”
He continued: “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. As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me.”
The most prominent scandal for the 65-year-old, who stepped down from royal duties in 2019, is his association with Epstein.
Reports have recently emerged that Andrew lied about when he cut contact with Epstein and further details of his dealings with an alleged Chinese spy have dominated newspaper headlines.
While Andrew will lose his rights to his remaining titles in public, his two daughters will remain unaffected owing to the rules laid down by King George V in 1917.
King George V issued a Letters Patent in 1917 which introduced a number of changes to the Royal Family, including the shift from having their last name as Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to Windsor during a time of significant anti-German sentiment during World War One.
It also established a number of important royal rules, many of which still exist or have been slightly adapted by Queen Elizabeth II as her great-grandchildren began to arrive.
The Letters Patent declared that only the monarch’s children, male-line grandchildren and the eldest son of the Prince of Wales could hold a princely title.
As Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie were born as male-line grandchildren of a sovereign, they would retain their titles regardless of any decision.
Beatrice and Eugenie’s mother has recently come under fire following new revelations about an email that she had sent to Epstein in 2011 – after his release from jail following child sex offences.
Since the latest revelation, many charities associated with Sarah have dropped her as patron, including The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, Prevent Breast Cancer and Teenage Cancer Trust.
In the email from 2011, Sarah can be seen issuing an apology for disassociating herself from her “supreme friend” when it had emerged that he had bailed her out financially.