Prince Andrew Had No Choice But to Drop Royal Titles, Expert Says: ‘Jump Before He Was Pushed’
No longer a duke.
Prince Andrew suffered a major blow to his status on Friday, when he announced that he was giving up the use of his royal titles, including the Duke of York.
Palace was ‘increasingly exasperated’ by Prince Andrew’s never-ending scandals, expert says
Andrew, 65, came to the decision to ditch his titles after a “discussion” with his elder brother, King Charles III, as well as his “immediate and wider family,” he said in a statement shared by Buckingham Palace.
“We have concluded the continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family,” the prince said. “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.”
“With His Majesty’s agreement, we feel I must now go a step further,” he added. “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.”
In his statement, Andrew implied that he had reached the decision to stop styling himself as a duke in consultation with Charlies. But in reality, he likely had little choice in the matter.
“The statement from Prince Andrew emphasizes that this was his decision to stop using his titles,” the BBC’s senior royal correspondent Sean Coughlan wrote. “But it might be seen as having to jump before he was pushed, as the Palace had seemed increasingly exasperated at the scandals that kept swirling around Andrew.”
‘Arrogant’ Prince Andrew only gave up titles because of family ‘pressure’
Another royal expert agreed that Andrew would never have willingly given up his prestigious title.
“We could say [Prince Andrew] has fallen on his sword, but I think he’s been pushed onto it,” royal commentator Jennie Bond told the BBC.
“I don’t think this is a decision that Andrew, quite an arrogant man – very, very fond of his status – would have willingly made without a lot of pressure,” she added.
Andrew’s ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, will also stop using her Duchess of York title, and he’ll no longer use his lesser-known titles of Earl of Inverness and Baron of Killyleagh. Their daughters, Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice, will retain their titles. In addition, Andrew will not attend the royal family’s Christmas celebrations this year, according to reports.
Prince Andrew’s downfall due to his ties to Jeffrey Epstein
Andrew has been back in the spotlight recently ahead of the release of a posthumous memoir by Virginia Giuffre, who had accused the prince of having sex with her when she was 17. Andrew reached a settlement with Giuffre in 2022. She died by suicide earlier this year. Now, her book, Nobody’s Girl, is bringing fresh attention to Andrew’s connections to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who Giuffre said introduced her to the royal. He’s also been embroiled in a Chinese spy scandal.
The prince’s downfall began in 2019 following a disastrous BBC interview where he offered bizarre and unconvincing explanations about his longstanding friendship with Epstein and relationship with Giuffre, who said she was sex trafficked by the wealthy financier. He stepped away from his public duties in 2019. In 2022, his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, stripped him of the “His Royal Highness” title, as well as his military titles and patronages.
The last time a British duke was stripped of his titles was more than a century ago. Prince Charles Edward, a grandson of Queen Victoria, lost the title of Duke of Albany when he sided with the Germans during World War I.
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