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The royal’s fall from grace began nearly six years ago with a calamitous television interview about his ties to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Oct. 17, 2025, 2:35 p.m. ET
Prince Andrew has surrendered the use of his royal title, the Duke of York, completing a fall from grace that began nearly six years ago with a calamitous television interview about his ties to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
In a statement issued on Friday evening, Andrew said that after discussing the matter with his elder brother, King Charles III, he had decided he would “no longer use my title or the honors which have been conferred upon me. As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me.”
Andrew, the second son of Queen Elizabeth II, was removed from official duties in 2019 and later lost his military titles after a fierce public backlash against him. That backlash followed an interview with the BBC, in which he claimed to have severed links with Mr. Epstein, who hanged himself in his cell in New York in 2019, after they were photographed together in New York in 2010.
But details about his associations with Mr. Epstein have continued to filter out, suggesting he remained in touch with Mr. Epstein after he claimed to have cut off ties.
Andrew has also been drawn into a scandal involving Chinese spying efforts in Britain, with revelations that he met on multiple occasions with Cai Qi, a senior Chinese official who is close to China’s president, Xi Jinping.
Andrew will remain a prince, as the son of a monarch. His daughters will retain their titles as Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie. But Andrew had already ceased using the honorific, His Royal Highness.
This is a breaking story. Please check back for updates.
Mark Landler is the London bureau chief of The Times, covering the United Kingdom, as well as American foreign policy in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. He has been a journalist for more than three decades.
