Prince Andrew gives up royal titles including Duke of York after ‘discussion with king’

Prince Andrew has Relinquished Royal Titles Amid Ongoing Controversies, Sources Confirm. The Duke of York, a member of the British royal family since 1986, has reportedly made the decision to relinquish his titles in an effort to distance himself from recent controversies surrounding his association with late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

According to palace sources, Andrew had agreed to give up his use of the title "Duke of York" as well as other honors including Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) and Royal Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter. As a result, he will now be referred to simply as Prince Andrew.

In a statement released through Buckingham Palace, Andrew expressed his decision, stating that it was "in discussion with the king, and my immediate and wider family" who convinced him to step down from public life five years ago. He added that continuing to hold titles would distract from the work of the royal family and his own personal reputation.

The move is seen as a significant development in Andrew's ongoing struggles with reputation and accountability following numerous allegations against him, including those surrounding his association with Epstein and his involvement with Ghislaine Maxwell, another accused associate. The Guardian published extracts from the posthumous memoir of Virginia Giuffre, one of Andrew's accusers, which claimed that he believed having sex with her was his "birthright."

The decision to relinquish titles comes as a significant relief for the royal family, who had been under intense scrutiny over the past year due to various controversies surrounding Prince Andrew. The King reportedly welcomed the move and consulted with other family members in its planning.

However, critics have pointed out that while Andrew is giving up his official titles, he will retain the dukedom of York, which can only be removed by an act of parliament. This move has been met with support from some members of the public but also criticism from others who say it does not go far enough in addressing the damage caused to the royal family's reputation.

The fallout from Andrew's decision continues, with calls for reforms to the way that titles are awarded and taken away by the monarch. The UK Labour Party has proposed a bill that would give the king more power to remove titles on his own initiative or after the recommendation of a joint parliamentary committee.

In another development, emails published by the Mail on Sunday have shown that Andrew had contact with Epstein in 2009, four years later than he claimed, and continued to do so until the summer of 2019. These revelations add to the growing body of evidence against Andrew's involvement with Epstein and his associates.

The story highlights the complexities of the royal family's reputation and the challenges they face in maintaining public trust. As one observer noted, "the decision to relinquish titles does not necessarily resolve the issue but may provide some relief for the monarchy."

so now prince andrew is basically a normal dude without all those fancy titles, yeah right like that's gonna make a difference anyone still gonna care about his shenanigans? i mean we're not gonna forget about the epstein thing anytime soon. and honestly what's the point of relinquishing titles if he can just keep the dukedom of york? it's like, come on guys give him a break or take away all the perks too

so what happened here is like a big mess with prince andrew and epstein... people are saying he's giving up his royal titles but still gets to keep the dukedom of york that's just weird because if he's really trying to distance himself from all this drama, why does he get to keep the title? it's like the monarchy is just trying to sweep everything under the rug... and honestly i feel bad for the rest of the royal family who are getting dragged down with him

I mean, what a waste. He just gave up all his privileges without really owning up to his mistakes . It's like he's trying to buy his way out of this mess rather than facing the consequences of his actions. And now we're supposed to feel bad for him because he's "relieved" that people will stop scrutinizing him? Give me a break . The royal family always finds a way to save their own skin, and this is just another example of it .

I remember when royals were untouchable , now it feels like they're human beings with feet of clay . Prince Andrew's decision to give up his titles is a step in the right direction, but I'm not sure if it's enough to repair the damage that's been done to the royal family's reputation .

I mean, come on, he was buddies with Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell... what were they thinking? And now he's trying to distance himself from all this by relinquishing his titles. It feels like a PR stunt to me .

But at the same time, I feel for the guy. He must be going through hell right now, dealing with all these allegations and scandals . Maybe giving up his titles will help him move on and start fresh .

The bigger question is, what's next? Should the king just swoop in and take away all of Andrew's titles without a fight? I don't think so . It's gotta be some kind of reform, like that bill the UK Labour Party proposed .

Anyway, it's definitely interesting to see how this all plays out . One thing's for sure, the royal family is going to have to do a lot more than just give up their titles if they want to regain our trust

[Image of a person shedding their crown, with a disappointed expression]



[A GIF of a person trying to put on a crown, only to have it slip off and fall on the ground]

[The royal family's reputation is like a patchwork quilt – one thread gets pulled out and everything falls apart ]

just heard about Prince Andrew giving up his royal titles... i'm kinda surprised it took him this long to step down from all that drama . seems like he's trying to distance himself from the Epstein thing and clear his rep, but idk if this will really fix everything for him or the royals in general . it feels like a big PR move more than anything else . i do think it's good that the palace is trying to focus on other things though . now we just gotta wait and see what happens next

I gotta say, this is a major cop-out by Andrew. I mean, giving up his titles is like, the bare minimum. What's next? Him giving up his inheritance too?

I think it's kinda funny that he's trying to distance himself from Epstein now. Like, dude, you've been friends with him for years and you're only doing this after all these allegations come out? You should've thought of that before you became buddies with a convicted sex offender.

And what's with the King being so welcoming to Andrew's decision? Can't he see how ridiculous it is? I mean, the dude is basically saying "oh, I'll just keep my dukedom and be done with it". That's not how it works. You gotta own up to your mistakes and take responsibility for them.

I'm all for reforming the way titles are awarded and taken away, but this whole thing feels like a PR stunt to me. The royal family needs to get its act together and stop worrying about image and start focusing on doing some actual good.

I'm kinda surprised he's giving up his titles all the way. Like, what was it gonna take? He's been dodging questions about Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell for years... I feel like this is just a PR stunt to save face, you know? The whole 'not wanting to distract from the royal family' thing sounds super convenient. What really changed his mind, do you think? Was he getting heat from the palace or did he finally realize it was all gonna come crashing down anyway?

omg u gotta understand why prince andrew is giving up his titles lol he's been trying to distance himself from all those controversies surrounding him & jeffrey epstein it's like, he can't escape the drama no matter what. but seriously, this move by the royal fam is a big relief for them, i guess. they've been under so much scrutiny lately and this lets them kinda move on from all the bad stuff. but honestly, its not like he's giving up his freedom or anything - hes still just gonna be prince andrew with no title .