Prince Andrew stepping back from title ‘right course of action’: British minister

LONDON – Britain’s Prince Andrew giving up his royal titles was the “right course of action”, said a senior British government minister on Oct 20, a day after police said they were examining allegations that Prince Andrew sought help from a police officer to discredit a woman who accused him of sexual abuse.

Prince Andrew, the younger brother of King Charles, said last week that he would no longer use his Duke of York title,
among others, following years of criticism about his behaviour and connections to the late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Andrew, who will remain a prince, has consistently denied any wrongdoing.

A court ruling in 2024 showed that the British government believed that one of Prince Andrew’s close business associates was a Chinese spy. Prince Andrew at the time said he had stopped all contact with the businessman.

“We agree and support the decision that the royal family and Prince Andrew have taken,” Ms Bridget Phillipson, education minister and senior MP, told Sky News.

“We believe that’s the right course of action.”

When asked about calls for the removal of his prince title, Ms Phillipson said it was not a matter for the government but one for the royal family to decide.

Prince Andrew relinquished his Duke of York title days before the release of a posthumous memoir by Ms Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein’s most prominent accusers, which contains new allegations against the Prince, who settled a civil case with Ms Giuffre in 2022.

In Nobody’s Girl, obtained by the BBC ahead of publication, Ms Giuffre alleges she feared she might “die a sex slave” under Epstein’s control and describes three alleged sexual encounters with Prince Andrew, including one involving Epstein and several other young women. 

The memoir also alleges that Prince Andrew correctly guessed Ms Giuffre’s age – 17 – when they first met, and includes details of encounters in London, New York and on Epstein’s private island.

Buckingham Palace has been contacted for comment. REUTERS