Prince Andrew still gets to stay in one of King’s homes despite giving up all royal titles
The family of Prince Andrew’s alleged victim has said his decision to give up his titles and honours is ‘vindication’ for their late sister.
The shocking announcement came days before the publication of a memoir by Andrew’s late alleged victim, Virginia Giuffre, to whom he paid millions to settle a civil sexual assault case.
Her family said in a statement this evening: ‘We, the family of Virginia Roberts Giuffre, believe that Prince Andrew’s decision to give up his titles is vindication for our sister and survivors everywhere.
‘This decisive action is a powerful step forward in our fight to bring Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s child sex-trafficking network to justice.’
They went one step further, adding it would be ‘appropriate’ if King Charles removed the title of ‘Prince’ from his brother.
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Giuffre was one of the most outspoken accusers of sex offenders Epstein and his ex-girlfriend Maxwell.
Prince Andrew’s official statement
In a statement released by Buckingham Palace, Andrew said the decision was made after a discussion with the King and his immediate and wider 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 said.
‘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.’
What titles is Prince Andrew giving up?
Due to the stripping of his titles, it’s likely the public won’t ever see Andrew next to the King or other senior royals again – marking a new era for the royals.
But, he will remain a prince, which he has been entitled to since birth.
The King’s brother will retain the dukedom, which can only be removed by an Act of Parliament, but not use it.
He will also give up his knighthood as a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) and his Garter role as a Royal Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter.
He’s also giving up his Scottish and Northern Irish titles and will no longer be known as the Earl of Inverness and Baron of Killyleagh.
Prince Andrew’s ex-wife will now be known as Sarah Ferguson, also losing her title of Duchess of York.
First time a Royal has lost titles in a more than a century
Contemporary historian Anthony Seldon told the BBC the last time a dukedom was taken away from a senior royal was in 1919.
Prince Charles Edward – one of Queen Victoria’s grandsons – lost the title of Duke of Albany for fighting on the German side during World War One, Seldon says.
Andrew’s giving up of his titles is a major step for modern royal history, and will certainly be remembered.
Despite losing his titles, he will remain eighth in line for the throne.
He’ll still get to stay in the Royal Lodge, despite the king wanting the Duke of York to vacate it for the nearby Frogmore Cottage, formerly home to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
It’s also been reported that for the second year running, Prince Andrew will not be attending the royals’ Christmas celebrations at Sandringham.
His daughters, Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice, will remain unaffected and still be princesses and serve in a royal capacity when needed.
Sky’s Rhiannon Mills said the King is ‘glad’ of the decision: ‘This decision basically was taken in conjunction with the King – yes, it was the prince’s decision but with very close consultation with the King involved, and we understand that the King is glad of this outcome.’
What does Giuffre’s new book say?
Virginia Giuffre, the woman who accused Prince Andrew of rape, wrote a memoir, which will be published posthumously in only a few weeks.
Titled ‘Nobody’s Girl,’ the bombshell book contains ‘intimate and disturbing’ details of her time with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’, as well as many of their friends – including Queen Elizabeth’s second son.
In the book, she called Prince Andrew ‘entitled’ and claimed he thought having sex with her was his ‘birthright’.
Virginia, who died in April aged 41, made the revelations in ‘Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice’, which she finished writing before her death.
The book is now set to be released this month, which will detail the alleged encounter she had with Andrew while she was 17 after being trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein.
Within the 400-page book, she also says the Duke of York said ‘thank you’ in a ‘clipped British accent’ after having sex with her.
Ghislaine Maxwell also allegedly praised her after, saying: ‘You did well, the Prince had fun.’
Andrew denied having sex with the then-17-year-old, but spent millions in an out-of-court settlement in 2022.
Publishers Alfred A Knopf said the book contains ‘intimate, disturbing, and heartbreaking new details about her time with Epstein, fellow sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell and their many well-known friends, including Prince Andrew, about whom she speaks publicly for the first time since their out-of-court settlement in 2022’.
Virginia, a mum-of-three, was found dead at her home in Neergabby, Australia, where she had been living for the past several years.
The publishers said she completed the manuscript only 25 days before her death.
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