England’s Prince Andrew has given up his royal titles, including his claim to being the Duke of York and membership in the Order of the Garter, due to scrutiny over his relationship with late sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein.

The late queen’s third child made the announcement in a statement Friday that was published by the BBC:

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.

According to the BBC, Andrew will “remain a prince” but will no longer be known as “the Duke of York, a title received from his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth.”

The decision to give up his titles comes amid scrutiny over when he cut off contact with Epstein. From the BBC’s story:

Prince Andrew has faced intense scrutiny over his links with disgraced financier Epstein, more recently including questions about when he had really cut off contact.

In his BBC Newsnight interview, Prince Andrew had said that he had severed all links with Epstein after they had been photographed together in New York in December 2010.

But emails sent in February 2011 later emerged suggesting that Andrew had privately stayed in touch with Epstein, including swapping a message: “Keep in close touch and we’ll play some more soon!”

Andrew ceased to be a “working royal” and lost the use of his HRH title amid revelations about his friendship with the disgraced Epstein, who died by suicide in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019.

Andrew’s ex-wife “will be known as Sarah Ferguson and no longer Duchess of York, but their daughters will continue to have the title of princess,” the BBC reported.

A now infamous photo of Andrew and Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre when she was a teenager appeared in The Daily Mail in 2011. Giuffre took her own life at the age of 41 in April. Her posthumous memoir is expected to be released next week.

The Epstein files continue to be a source of contention for Donald Trump and Republicans who have yet to release them.

Read the BBC story here.

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