Now, Prince Andrew has announced that he will renounce his Duke of York title. It represents an enormous turning point in his royal life. Following conversations with King Charles and other royal family members, they came to this conclusion. The announcement follows months of negative press about the prince’s past.
Prince Andrew will no longer use the title of Duke of York. Yet, he cannot lose the dukedom itself. Taking away the title would involve an act of parliament. This overdue process is indeed improbable, since the current royal family prefers to relinquish it on its own terms.
In recent years, Prince Andrew has come under heavy fire. In addition, he has lost his military rank titles and charity connections. As a result he is no longer entitled to use his HRH honorific. These are all being influenced by allegations brought forth by Virginia Giuffre. She alleges that Prince Andrew sexually abused her when she was only 17 years old. Prince Andrew has consistently denied these allegations.
In 2022, the prince settled a civil case brought by Giuffre for about £12 million. To complete the arrangement, he did so without entering any fault. The settlement did little to alleviate growing public concern over his past relationships. This deepens his scandalous ties to the late convicted child sex trafficker, Jeffrey Epstein.
The prince’s ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, will be dropped and she will now be referred to as simply Sarah. Their daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, will continue to keep their titles even with these changes.
The consultations leading to this decision included not only King Charles but the Prince of Wales and other family members. The palace had hoped that Prince Andrew would voluntarily and gracefully withdraw from public life and action from his title. This would allow him to sidestep the rising public and government demand for his ouster by parliament.
Virginia Giuffre has been vocal about her allegations against Prince Andrew, claiming that he “believed that having sex with me was his birthright.” These assertions have lived on even through her posthumously published memoir, which details her time spent with the prince.
Like his brother, Prince Andrew is abdicating from his title to focus on his family’s reputation. He admits that he continues to face challenges from past accusations to this day. The royal family is hoping this decision will allow them to further focus on their public work.