Disgraced Prince Andrew and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, are losing their royal titles.
The former Duke of York agreed on Friday that “continued accusations” against him and his connection to Jeffrey Epstein “distract from the work of His Majesty and the Royal family,” per the Telegraph.
“I have decided, as I always have, to put my duty to my family and country first,” he wrote in a statement released by Buckingham Palace Friday. “I stand by my decision five years ago to stand back from public life.”
However, Andrew added, “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,” he continued.
Andrew noted that this decision was made after “discussion with [brother King Charles III] and [their] immediate and wider family.”
Ferguson, who was married to Andrew from 1986 to 1996, will no longer maintain her Duchess of York title.
The 66-year-old has yet speak out on this latest development.
Page Six can confirm that the former couple’s daughters — Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice — have not been affected by their father’s title change.
Andrew, notably, was stripped of his military titles, royal patronages and the use of the “His Royal Highness” style in January 2022, three years after stepping back from his royal duties.
Andrew is, regardless of Friday’s update, still a prince as he is Queen Elizabeth II’s son.
The embattled royal will also continue to live at his Royal Lodge residence since he has a “private tenancy agreement with the Crown Estate,” according to the palace.
Andrew stepped back from his royal public role in 2019 after a headline-making interview regarding his ties to Epstein.
Two years later, Virginia Giuffre sued Andrew for sexual assault, which he has denied, and the legal battle was settled out of court the following year. Giuffre died by suicide in April at age 41.
The news follows renewed interest in Andrew’s alleged connections to Epstein, due to the impending release of Guiffre’s posthumous memoir, “Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice,” which will hit shelves on Oct. 21.
Ferguson, meanwhile, was recently dropped by children’s hospice charity Julia’s House after her emailed apology to Epstein was revealed by the Daily Mail last month. “Following the information shared this weekend on the Duchess of York’s correspondence with Jeffrey Epstein, Julia’s House has taken the decision that it would be inappropriate for her to continue as a patron of the charity,” a statement from the charity read.
In the 2011 email, Ferguson referred to Epstein as a “steadfast, generous and supreme friend” and wrote that she “was advised, in no uncertain terms, to have nothing to do with you and to not speak or email you and if I did I would cause more problems to you, [Prince Andrew] and myself.” Ferguson’s rep told the Daily Mail that she had been advised to attempt to “to assuage Epstein and his threats.”
