Prince Andrew has renounced his royal titles following renewed public outrage over his links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Buckingham Palace confirmed on October 17 that the Duke of York will no longer use any royal titles or honors, including Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order and Royal Knight Companion of the Order of the Garter. The move follows the release of excerpts from the posthumous memoir of Virginia Giuffre, the woman who accused Andrew of sexual abuse when she was 17.
In his official statement, Andrew said that discussions with King Charles III and the wider royal family led to the decision to “go a step further” in distancing himself from public life. “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,” the statement read. “As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me.”
Giuffre’s memoir, Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice, co-written with Amy Wallace, is set to be published next week—six months after her death by suicide in Australia. The book revisits her experiences with Epstein and his associates, including Prince Andrew and Ghislaine Maxwell. She describes Epstein as a “master manipulator” and recounts three alleged encounters with Andrew, including one at Maxwell’s London home.
According to excerpts published by The Guardian, Giuffre said Andrew acted “entitled, as if having sex with me was his birthright.” She recalled Maxwell telling her the next morning, “You did well. The prince had fun.” Epstein then allegedly paid her $15,000 for “servicing the man the tabloids called ‘Randy Andy.’”
Giuffre detailed that she met Andrew in March 2001 when she was 17. The day began with Maxwell waking her and saying, “It’s going to be a special day. Just like Cinderella, I was going to meet a handsome prince.” When Andrew arrived, she claimed he guessed her age correctly and remarked, “My daughters are just a little younger than you.”
Andrew has repeatedly denied the allegations and maintains that he never met Giuffre. The two reached an out-of-court settlement in 2022. However, the release of Giuffre’s memoir and her subsequent death have reignited public scrutiny and intensified pressure on the royal family to take visible action.
The scandal has long haunted Andrew, whose disastrous 2019 BBC interview only deepened public skepticism. His attempt to refute Giuffre’s claims—famously insisting he could not sweat—was widely mocked and led to his withdrawal from official duties. Now, by relinquishing his titles, Andrew appears to be closing the final chapter of his royal career under the shadow of Epstein’s crimes.
