British royal Prince Andrew has announced that he is giving up his royal titles and the honors conferred upon him in the wake of increased media scrutiny surrounding him. This announcement about King Charles III’s brother and the third child of the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip was made through the royal family’s website on Friday evening in the UK.
As shared by the official handle of @PoliticsUK on X, the statement announcing the same reads,
In discussion with The King, and my immediate and wider family, we have concluded the continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family. I have decided, as I always have, to put my duty to my family and country first. I stand by my decision five years ago to stand back 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. As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me.
While he didn’t detail what exact “accusations” he was referring to in his statement, Andrew has notably been under intense fire from the British media, especially for his relationship and reported friendship with the late convicted s-x offender, Jeffrey Epstein. But these are not the only allegations, and this is not the first time the Prince has stepped back from his duties.
🚨 BREAKING: Prince Andrew has given up all his Royal titles pic.twitter.com/rNT8F1sKuf
For those who might not know, the 65-year-old was in the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy for more than two decades, from 1979 to 2001. Following this, he worked as a roving UK trade ambassador until 2011. Andrew is listed on the Royal Family’s website as eighth in the line of succession, under Prince Harry and Meghan’s second child, Princess Lilibet.
Prince Andrew’s Alleged Role in the Epstein Controversy
Prince Andrew has been repeatedly linked to Jeffrey Epstein over the years. As per the latest reports, two British tabloids claimed on Sunday to have confirmed the allegation that he had sent an email to Epstein about the media storm that a 2011 Daily Mail article caused. The article raised concerns about Andrew’s links to the deceased s-x offender.
In the mail, dated February 28, 2011, Andrew reportedly wrote to Epstein,
I’m just as concerned for you! Don’t worry about me! It would seem we are in this together and will have to rise above it. Otherwise, keep in close touch and we’ll play some more soon!!!!
This email was signed with the letter ‘A’ and ‘HRH The Duke of York KG.’ (Via the Daily Mail and The Sun. See Australian Broadcasting Corporation/ABC for more details.)
While that’s that, the concerning fact is that this email contradicts Andrew’s past claim in an interview with the BBC that he had cut contact with the late controversial convict in December 2010. British media also reported last month that Andrew’s ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, had described Epstein as a “steadfast, generous, and supreme friend” in a 2011 letter (via abc.net.au).
Besides this, Prince Andrew also got under fire for the allegations against him from Virginia Giuffre, formerly Virginia Roberts. These came to light when extracts from her memoir were published in the British press on Thursday. While Giuffre died by suicide earlier this year, she had previously also alleged that she was forced to have s-x with the Prince as a minor in 2001.
In her memoir (excerpt shared by The Guardian), she repeated this allegation, writing that Andrew was “entitled – as if he believed having s-x with me was his birthright. He seemed in a rush to have intercourse. Afterward, he said ‘thank you’ in his clipped British accent.”
Prior to this, UK police even reviewed evidence relating to the s-x crime allegations against Andrew in 2021, but they soon announced that they were taking no further action. In the year that followed, the prince was reported to have reached a settlement with Giuffre, apparently having made a substantial donation to her charity in support of victims’ rights (via abc.net.au).
When it comes to Giuffre, she first became known in 2011 with that Daily Mail article linking Prince Andrew and Epstein, which also featured the now-infamous photo of the prince with his arm around Giuffre and standing next to Epstein’s girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell.
Why Did Prince Andrew Leave His Royal Duties?
Now that all those allegations connecting him to Jeffrey Epstein resurface again, Prince Andrew has given up his royal titles and honors. A few years ago, in 2019, he had stepped back from public duty after agreeing to cooperate with investigations into his former friend and convict.
A few years later, in 2022, Andrew was stripped of his military titles as well while defending a civil sexual ab-se case from Virginia Giuffre. This meant he would no longer be called His Royal Highness, or HRH, in official settings. In the wake of the same, his military affiliations and royal patronages were also returned to the Queen, though he retained his Duke of York and Knight of the Garter titles at the time (per abc.net.au).
This latest turn of events, meanwhile, stems from the British media’s scrutiny of the prince over not only his relationship with Epstein and allegations of s-x with a minor Giuffre, but also due to his rumored links to an alleged Chinese spy. Per the latest reports, Andrew is under fire for his dealings with Cai Qi, a high-ranking Chinese official whom the British press had linked to the Chinese spy scandal in the United Kingdom (via abc.net.au).
On Thursday, The Telegraph reported that Prince Andrew had met Cai three times. A day later, the Daily Mail published a photo of the two from 2018 on its front page. With all of this negative press currently surrounding the prince, it’s only understandable that he has given up his royal titles and honors as well.
At the same time, this must not be confused with thoughts like Andrew is no longer a prince. Since he is the son of the late Queen Elizabeth II, he is technically still a prince and will continue to be referred to as such.
What’s changing is that he will no longer use the title of the Duke of York, which was created by the Queen for him after his marriage in 1986. His ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, will also be stripped of the title of the Duchess of York. Their daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie, however, are still princesses. Plus, Andrew will no longer use the title of the Knight of the Garter either.
Prince Andrew’s Net Worth and Royal Salary
While his net worth hasn’t been publicly shared, per Celebrity Net Worth, Prince Andrew’s net worth has been estimated at $5 million. For most of his adult life, up until January 2022, before he was forced out, he was reportedly supported by a tax-free $322,000 annual allowance from the late Queen Elizabeth II (reports taken from HELLO! Magazine).
It is believed that his only source of income is his pension from the Royal Navy, which is £20,000 (around $26,854 in USD). Though he was cut off from the Sovereign Grant after stepping away from his royal duties, the BBC reveals that, beforehand, Andrew would have been able to earn a salary of around £250,000 (approximately $335,675 in USD).
In 2022, the prince reportedly sold his luxury chalet in Verbier to British financier Philip Muelder for either “on or near” the asking price of £20 million (around $26.8 million). A few years before that, he was reported to have sold his Sunninghill Park home to Timor Kulibayev, the son-in-law of the then-President of Kazakhstan, for £15 million (around $20.1 million).
Prince Andrew currently resides at Royal Lodge, which is a mansion on the grounds of Windsor Castle. While he doesn’t own the house, he has a lease to stay there until 2078 due to an agreement that he and his mother, the late Queen, made back in 2002. However, he is expected to foot the bill for the upkeep of the mansion, as part of the lease (via abc.net.au).
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