Prince Andrew gives up royal titles including Duke of York after 'discussion with king'

[BumRushDaShow]

Last edited Fri Oct 17, 2025, 01:54 PM - Edit history (1)

Source: The Guardian

Fri 17 Oct 2025 14.37 EDT
First published on Fri 17 Oct 2025 14.04 EDT


Prince Andrew has agreed to give up his use of the Duke of York title, he said in a statement released through Buckingham Palace. He will also give up his membership of the Order of the Garter, meaning his only remaining title will be that of prince, which cannot be removed as he was born the son of a queen.

In a statement he said: “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.”

Technically, Andrew will retain the dukedom, which can only be removed by an act of parliament, but will not use it.The title, in effect, remains extant but inactive, like the HRH (His Royal Highness) honorific. He will also give up his knighthood as a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO).

It is understood the decision was taken in close consultation with his brother, King Charles, and in recognition of the fact that his personal issues continued to be an unwelcome distraction from the work of the wider royal family. The king is understood to be glad of the outcome. The Prince of Wales was also consulted, along with other family members. Andrew’s ex-wife, Sarah, Duchess of York, will also not use her title and be known simply as Sarah Ferguson. The titles of their two daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, will remain unaffected.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/oct/17/prince-andrew-to-give-up-royal-titles

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Just breaking. I can guess what the straw that broke might have been.

Article updated.

Original article/headline -

Prince Andrew to give up royal titles

Fri 17 Oct 2025 14.04 EDT
Last modified on Fri 17 Oct 2025 14.06 EDT


Prince Andrew has agreed to give up his title as the Duke of York, he said in a statement released through Buckingham Palace.

He said: “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.”

More details soon …

[markodochartaigh]

1. I wonder if

England's royal family is betting that, one way or another, the Epstein files are soon coming out.

[Trueblue Texan]

21. EXACTLY what I was thinking! nt

[calimary]

32. Ooooooooh. The plot thickens.

Hey, stranger things have happened. That orange guy managed to move into the White House, not once but TWICE.

[TexasBushwhacker]

45. Virginia Guiffre's book "Nobody's Girl" is coming out on the 21st n/t

[mercuryblues]

2. Now he needs to spill the beans

On Trump and Epstein.

[BaronChocula]

4. Except...

He still denies all allegations. But wouldn't it be nice.

[Trueblue Texan]

22. It's getting to the point that it won't matter if he denies it. nt

[Irish_Dem]

38. I am sure a deal was reached and part of it is that Andrew and Fergie keep their mouths shut.

[BigDemVoter]

3. I wonder if they'll yank his allowance? They SHOULD have already done it a long time ago.

[Aristus]

9. If he is going to have to actually work for a living, he'd better take some helicopter pilot refresher lessons.

n/t

[Irish_Dem]

26. They probably paid him to cooperate. :(

[usonian]

5. The Epstein Event Horizon is near.

🌋

[electric_blue68]

24. Hopefully! The snowball starts rolling a long, snowy hill!

[nycbos]

6. Andrew has to be a huge national security risk for the UK.

[nitpicked]

7. Link to BBC

https://www.bbc.com/news/live/cvgw31y75ywt

[ShazzieB]

47. Thanks for the BC link!

From the BBC coverage:

Prince Andrew’s announcement will come as a "great relief" to Buckingham Palace, royal commentator Jennie Bond says.

Speaking to the BBC News Channel, the former BBC royal correspondent says “enormous pressure” on Andrew had been exerted from his brother, the King, and also from his nephew, Prince William.

"We could say [Prince Andrew] has fallen on his sword, but I think he’s been pushed onto it," she adds.

"I don’t think this is a decision that Andrew, quite an arrogant man – very, very fond of his status – would have willingly made without a lot of pressure."

Love the line about Andrew being pushed onto his sword!

Well done, Charles and William!

[muriel_volestrangler]

8. There was another straw today - more links to a Chinese spy

Andrew's talks with a Chinese spy had been reported before, but apparently there were more today - this was published about 3 hours before the "drop the title" news:

Amazingly, even as I was typing that paragraph, a story dropped revealing that Andrew met the extremely senior Chinese Communist party official at the centre of the collapsed Beijing spy case at least three times. Remember, the duke is already under fire for unwittingly hiring an alleged spy as his representative in China. Is there anywhere he doesn’t get? He’s like the Forrest Gump of appalling decisions.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/oct/17/prince-andrew-meritocracy-royal-family

The Chinese spying is the main UK story this week: a court case of spying for China against 2 British people, one a parliamentary researcher, was dropped - with the prosecutors saying the current Labour government wouldn't given a proper statement that China is hostile (you need something like that for the law - though some say a jury can just make up their own mind about that), and Labour blaming the previous Tory government, when the spying happened, for not making a public statement of that at the time. And Labour is being accused of sucking up to the Chinese government by everyone else. (There's also planning permission needed for a new Chinese embassy, which would be the biggest in Europe, which has been postponed (amid claims the Chinese would tunnel underneath it and intercept communications links), and China is kicking up shit about that.

[BumRushDaShow]

10. Virginia Giuffre's posthumous book is supposed to release Oct. 21 but the NYT published a book review yesterday

From Epstein’s Chief Accuser, a Memoir Both Sad and Devastating

Virginia Roberts Giuffre’s posthumous “Nobody’s Girl” doesn’t break political news, but might break your heart.



Prince Andrew, Virginia Roberts Giuffre and Ghislaine Maxwell in London in 2001.Credit...via Virginia Roberts Giuffre

By Alexandra Jacobs
Oct. 16, 2025

(snip)

Right at the top of the review was a photo of her with Prince Andrew!

[Lulu KC]

12. This is the precipitating event

I'd like to hope Epstein files coming soon, but this is all it took. (And I don't think Andrew would be privy to the info if they are coming soon, but how do I know?)

[BumRushDaShow]

14. Well li'l Mikey is going to stall as long as he can

but the end is nye for blocking...

[llmart]

17. Can't wait to read the book.

I've pre-ordered two copies.

[markie]

31. after reading the excerpt

I have decided I will not read the book... it will be fascinating, I'm sure, and I await peoples' comments, but it is just too ugly for me to read at length.... let us know the important parts after you have read it

[Warpy]

11. His humiliation probably won't extend to having to get a job

because he's a bit long in the tooth for that. He'll be pensioned off to live somewhere warm and remote enough he will no longer be in a position to embarrass his extended family.

The family must be anticipating more bad news once the Epstein documents are released, that Andrew made many more trips to Epstein's island that have been admitted to, possibly with very young girls sold to him. I don't think they'd have bothered taking this step unless they were trying to shield themselves from more bad news.

[calimary]

36. That certainly makes sense.

[DavidDvorkin]

13. That must have been an interesting "discussion".

[Irish_Dem]

28. I think it was of the "We can do this easy or we can do it hard" discussion.

Parliament was rumored to be getting ready to take away Andrew's titles and HRH status.

Apparently a deal was cut to let Andrew pretend he was giving them up
voluntarily. And I assume he was given payment or Royal Lodge.
He and the King have been fighting over Andrew's free housing.

So some sort of face saving arrangement was made.

Andrew had little choice in the matter.

Now if they can do the same with the other royal problem child.

[FakeNoose]

15. This was always going to happen ... even when Elizabeth was still alive

Andrew (who was already divorced) finally told his mother about Virginia Giuffre and the visits to Epstein's island etc.

His family acted swiftly. He lost his titles and his inheritance, and he has no job representing royal family, stemming from the Giuffre lawsuit settlement and the notoriety of the Epstein case. I believe he still lives in the Windsor property on the palace grounds and he can keep whatever money he has privately invested. But he's never getting another dime from the Windsor royals and he has to keep a low profile from now on.

[SunSeeker]

16. Scumbag raped children. About time the royals acknowledged that. nt

[JoseBalow]

20. Are they acknowledging anything?

Seems more like they are trying to hide and distance themselves from it. That is on brand.

[SunSeeker]

23. True, they have yet to explicity admit it happened. nt

[Irish_Dem]

37. Andrew is still denying everything.

Even though there is evidence.

And the fact his titles are being taken away indicates he is guilty as sin.

[fujiyamasan]

41. Yes, it's an old institution

Like the Catholic Church, it will deny, deny, deny. The last thing they want is victims coming after them for damages.

We’re seeing the same thing here, and of course Trump is doing everything he can to keep those files from coming to light.

[Eugene]

18. Welcome if overdue. Now will he fade into the background and stay there?

[Irish_Dem]

35. He better or he will lose other perks.

[JoseBalow]

19. Because he's innocent and totally not guilty of anything

Meh, royal titles are so passé...

[Richard_GB]

25. He retains the title of

Nonce

[usonian]

27. Maybe he can find useful work

Ex Prince?

[UpInArms]

29. Fuck the luck of the draw

I want to see their birth applications

What makes them more special than anyone else …

I despise the monarchy bullshit

[Irish_Dem]

34. Yep they won the vagina lottery and think they are special.

[Tetrachloride]

30. no harm no foul. this is the logic that is essentially seen

no prosecution

[Irish_Dem]

33. Perhaps this was part of the deal.

He gives up the title and HRH.
He doesn't get investigated any further.

Or the King knows an investigation is coming up shortly.
Or Epstein files released.

Time will tell.

[Tetrachloride]

40. indeed

a bunch of maybe

[Joinfortmill]

39. Guy's an arrogant perv.

[eppur_se_muova]

42. "in consultation with his brother, King Charles, and ..." COPY EDITOR !! nt

[PufPuf23]

43. The royal family including Charles had multiple associations with Jimmy Savile

so have experience with extensive pedophilia scandals among the wealthy and powerful.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Savile

Savile met Prince Charles through mutual charity interests.[88] His work with Stoke Mandeville Hospital also made Savile a suitable figure to whom the Prince could turn "for advice on navigating Britain's health authorities".[89] Charles met Savile on several occasions. In 1999, Charles visited Savile's Glen Coe home for a private meal and reportedly sent him gifts on his 80th birthday and a note reading: "Nobody will ever know what you have done for this country, Jimmy. This is to go some way in thanking you for that."[88] Savile was also in contact with other members of the royal household and received telegrams from Diana, Princess of Wales, and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, as well as a handwritten letter from Princess Alexandra's husband Sir Angus Ogilvy and a homemade card from Sarah, Duchess of York.[90] Savile acted as an unofficial adviser to Prince Charles, who sought his advice on a number of occasions on how the royal family ought to interact with the public and media. In 1989, Savile hand-wrote an unofficial set of guidelines to Charles on how members of the royal family and staff may respond to disasters. Charles showed the dossier to his father, Prince Philip, who passed the contents on to Queen Elizabeth II.[91][92][93]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Savile_sexual_abuse_scandal

[PCB66]

44. I bet

he has a couple of hundred million dollars as his share of the family fortune.