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He won’t call himself a duke any more, but that is not enough for many of Prince Andrew’s critics. Buckingham Palace and the British government were under pressure Monday to formally strip Prince Andrew of his princely title and sumptuous home after new revelations about his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. After discussions with his elder brother King Charles, Andrew agreed on Friday to stop using titles including Duke of York. It was the latest effort to insulate the monarchy from years of tawdry headlines about Andrew’s suspicious business deals, inappropriate behaviour and controversial friendships. But he still technically holds the title of duke, bestowed by his late mother, Queen Elizabeth. And as the son of a monarch, he remains a prince. Andrew’s statement relinquishing some of his royal titles came after emails emerged showing he had remained in contact with Epstein longer than he previously admitted, and days before publication of a posthumous memoir by Epstein accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who alleged she had sex with Andrew when she was 17. Giuffre’s brother, Sky Roberts, urged the king to go further and “remove the title of prince, too. “He shouldn’t be able to call himself one,” Roberts told The Times of London newspaper. Andrew, 65, has long denied Giuffre’s claims, but stepped down from royal duties after a disastrous November 2019 BBC interview in which he attempted to rebut her allegations. Many viewers saw an entitled prince who failed to show empathy for Epstein’s victims and offered unbelievable explanations for his friendship with the late sex offender. Andrew paid millions in an out-of-court settlement in 2022 after Giuffre filed a civil suit against him in New York. While he did not admit wrongdoing, he acknowledged Giuffre’s suffering as a victim of sex trafficking. Some opposition politicians said Andrew should formally be stripped of his dukedom through an act of Parliament. Scottish National Party lawmaker Stephen Flynn said the government should use legislation to remove titles from both Andrew and Peter Mandelson, a member of the House of Lords who was fired as British ambassador to Washington in September over his past friendship with Epstein. “The family of Virginia Giuffre, whose life was destroyed, are angry and aghast,” Flynn said. “The public across these isles are angry and aghast and they both deserve to know that some (members of Parliament) share their outrage.” The government said it supported the palace’s decision over Andrew’s titles but should not act unilaterally. Under the UK’s constitutional monarchy, the crown does not interfere in politics and politicians stay clear of issues related to the royal family. “Our thoughts have to be with the victims of Jeffrey Epstein, those who suffered and continue to suffer because of the abuse that they experienced at his hands, but these are matters for the royal family,” Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson told the BBC. Royal Lodge, Windsor, built from mid-17th century with 1930s wings, home of Prince Andrew since 2004, who from yesterday will not use his Duke of York title or honours (e.g. Order of the Garter).https://t.co/ksi3CkRCLGhttps://t.co/VIydrP4BMNhttps://t.co/zWB4N9oobx pic.twitter.com/JijWaoSWlQ — Stately Home News (@StatelyHomeNews) October 18, 2025 Some also want Andrew evicted from Royal Lodge, the 30-room mansion near Windsor Castle where he lives alongside his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, who will no longer be known as the Duchess of York. Questions have been raised about how Andrew pays for the house, which he rents on a long lease from the Crown Estate, a portfolio of properties that is nominally owned, but not controlled, by the monarch. The palace is bracing for more embarrassing revelations, just as the king prepares for a state visit to the Vatican this week where he was due to pray beside Pope Leo. Giuffre’s book, Nobody’s Girl, was published on Tuesday and details three alleged sexual encounters with Andrew. She died by suicide in April at the age of 41. In an extract published in advance, Giuffre said the prince acted as if he believed “having sex with me was his birthright”. Giuffre also claimed in the book that Andrew’s team tried “to hire internet trolls to hassle me”. She said that Andrew insisted the lawsuit settlement include a one-year gag order to prevent allegations from tarnishing the late queen’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022. Meanwhile, London’s Metropolitan Police force says it was “actively looking into” media reports that Andrew in 2011 sought information to smear Giuffre by asking one of his police bodyguards to find out whether she had a criminal record.
