<\/p>\n
And just like that, Prince Andrew is no longer a duke.<\/p>\n
The second son of Queen Elizabeth II has been on the outs with the rest of the British royal family since the late Virginia Giuffre, one of pedophilic sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein\u2019s most prominent accusers, first claimed in the 2010s that she had been forced to have sex with the prince while she was a minor.<\/span><\/p>\n The king appeared to take matters into his own hands Friday. After years of Andrew being relegated to the fringes of royal life, King Charles III formally stripped his 65-year-old brother of his royal duties. In a concise statement, Prince Andrew acknowledged that his sorry reputation had become a distraction for the rest of the monarchy. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIn 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,\u201d the prince wrote in a <\/span>statement released by Buckingham Palace<\/a>. \u201cAs I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWith His Majesty\u2019s 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,\u201d Prince Andrew continued. \u201cAs I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Prince Andrew, as a son of the late queen, will retain his title of \u201cprince,\u201d but he has relinquished several other titles since speaking with the king, including his standing as Duke of York and Order of the Garter\u2014two titles that brought him enormous pride.<\/span><\/p>\n He cut his military affiliations, ended his royal patronages, and stopped using the style of \u201cHis Royal Highness\u201d in 2022 during a civil case brought by Giuffre. The prince settled that lawsuit without admitting any wrongdoing.<\/span><\/p>\n Officially nullifying the prince\u2019s titles will, however, take some more time, as the deed requires an official act of Parliament.<\/span><\/p>\n The family\u2019s decision to sever ties with Prince Andrew arrived several days after the publication of Giuffre\u2019s posthumous memoir <\/span>Nobody\u2019s Girl<\/i><\/a>, in which she details at least three incidents in which the prince allegedly raped her.<\/span><\/p>\n But Giuffre\u2019s disturbing accusations were far from the only bad press that plagued the prince. Public interest in his <\/span>personal finances<\/a> and judgement have also been a sore spot for the family, as was Andrew\u2019s decision to cozy up to an accused Chinese spy.<\/span><\/p>\n Quizzically, Andrew\u2019s misdeeds were not severe enough to peel him from the monarchy\u2019s succession plan: he will still remain eighth in line for the throne. He will also remain in his Windsor home, Royal Lodge, where he has a private lease with an expiration date in 2078.<\/span><\/p>\n He will not, however, be present during the Royal Family\u2019s Christmas festivities this year in Sandringham.<\/span><\/p>\n