Prince Andrew gives up royal title

The UK’s Prince Andrew on Friday renounced his title of Duke of York under pressure from his brother King Charles, amid further revelations about his ties to US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

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(FILES) Britain's Prince Andrew, Duke of York (L) and Britain's King Charles III leave following a Requiem Mass, a Catholic funeral service, for the late Katharine, Duchess of Kent, at Westminster Cathedral in London on September 16, 2025.

(AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE)

“I will... no longer use my title or the honors which have been conferred upon me,” Andrew, 65, said in a bombshell announcement.

He said his decision came after discussions with the head of state, King Charles III.

“I have decided, as I always have, to put my duty to my family and country first,” Andrew said in a statement sent out by Buckingham Palace.

He again denied all allegations of wrongdoing, but said “We have concluded the continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family.”

Andrew, who stepped back from public life in 2019 amid the Epstein scandal, will remain a prince, as he is the second son of the late queen Elizabeth II.

But he will no longer hold the title of Duke of York that she had conferred on him.

UK media reported that he would also give up membership of the prestigious Order of the Garter, the most senior knighthood in the British honors system, which dates to 1348.