London, Yiannis Haniotakis

The long and painful fall of prince andrew which was marred by a series of scandals – by complaints about sexual assault and his close relationship with Jeffrey Epstein to contacts with Chinese spies – has reached its definitive end. After discussions with his brother, King Charles, and other members of the royal family, Andrew, 65, is giving up all his remaining titles.

This means that the former Duke of York permanently loses this titleas well as its titles Earl of Inverness and of Baron Killyleagh. In addition, he agreed to no longer use the honors awarded to him as a Royal Knight of the Order of the Garter.

From now on, it will simply be called “prince andrew». The title of “prince” it is hereditary by birthunder a Royal Warrant issued in 1917 by George V and updated by the late Queen Elizabeth II in 2012.

However, he had already been stripped of her title “His Royal Highness”and now all his other titles follow. It is recalled that Andrew had already lost them his military titles in January 2022 by his mother, Queen Elizabeth, while he was dealing with the case of sexual abuse by Virginia Giuffre, which ended with one out-of-court settlement to the tune of several million pounds.

The email that hastened the end

The final blow for Andrew appears to have been a recent revelation. In an email that saw the light of day Andrew wrote to convicted Jeffrey Epstein, “we’re in this together,” on February 29, 2011. The date is crucial: it was just one day after his infamous photo with Giuffre was released.

This message proved that the Duke had lied in his disastrous BBC Newsnight interview in 2019, where he claimed he had cut off all contact with Epstein three months in advance. In the same interview, he had stated that he did not remember ever meeting Giuffre, despite the photographic documentand that he had no regrets about his friendship with Epstein.

The Palace’s reaction and Andrew’s statement

King Charles, who has shown remarkable patience with his brother over the years, is said to be “delighted” with the outcome. Sources say the King’s “strong encouragement”, as well as the clear influence of the Prince of Wales, was decisive for the decision.

Andrew was allowed to maintain a modicum of dignityissuing his own statement Friday night. He said he made the decision in “close agreement” with the King and his family, as well “the constant accusations distract from His Majesty’s work.”

“I decided, as I always do, to I put my duty to my family and my country above all else», he stated. “With His Majesty’s concurrence, we feel that I must now go a step further. As I have stated in the past, I categorically deny the allegations against me.” concluded.

Andrew’s downfall also drags his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson. The couple received the titles of Duke and Duchess of York on their wedding day in 1986. As confirmed, the Sarah will also lose her ‘Duchess’ title. In contrast, the titles of their daughters, Princess Eugenia and Princess Beatrice, will not be affected.

Despite the complete loss of his titles, Mr Andrew will not lose his home. He will remain at the Royal Lodge, as he has one rental agreement which lasts until 2078.

It is about one spectacular fall for someone who was reportedly Queen Elizabeth’s ‘favorite son’served in the Falklands War and worked as a UK trade envoy for ten years. As royal writer Phil Dampier commented: “This had become inevitable. It’s a very sad fall for someone who came back a hero from the Falklands. That it fell so low is a Greek tragedy».

Andrew

How the British press is commenting on the developments

The newspaper Telegraph points out that “there has never been, so far as can be remembered, such a fall for a duke. Prince Andrew, once a war hero and beloved person of the citizensresigned the title of Duke, under increasing pressure from public opinion and a king who had exhausted his patience.”

THE Guardian writes that the agreement was reached after high-level meetings at Buckingham Palaceas the royal family is said to have finally reached a “critical point». Inside the royal household, the newspaper added, there was “concern” and “anguish” over the constant headlines, which were seen as posing a serious risk to the monarchy’s reputation.

For a “humiliated” Andrew makes a speech SUN while the Times of London note: “The scandal-ridden years of unruly Prince Andrew have finally proved too much to bear. He has been the ‘golden child’ of the royal family, but decades of missteps – from pranks on journalists to friendships with alleged spies – have made his position vis-à-vis King Charles untenable.”