The fact that Prince Andrew had made it this far with his title still intact and remaining in contact with the rest of the British royal family says a lot about the institution in general, and King Charles in particular. The King has always been reluctant to cut off his brother completely, and even their mother, Queen Elizabeth II, only went as far as to demote him as a working royal without taking away his title or his comforts. But now, things are changing.
Even though the Duke of York was recently photographed with members of the royal family at the funeral of the Duchess of Kent, it wasn’t until the Sarah Ferguson email leaks that things reached a breaking point. And that has culminated in a shocking announcement by Prince Andrew himself.
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In a statement released by Buckingham Palace on Friday, Oct. 17, Prince Andrew said he will no longer use his title or honors. A statement read, “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,” he added. “As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me.”
This comes after The Times reported things had reached “a tipping point” that had left the King considering stripping Prince Andrew of his title as the Duke of York. A royal source revealed King Charles was “considering all options.” Removing the title would not have been easy, as it required an act of parliament, but sources believed the move would have had both government and public support.
However, even then, reports indicated that the hope was that Prince Andrew would voluntarily give up the title before being forced.
Prince Andrew and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, have been involved in scandal after scandal, involving convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and, in Andrew’s case, his close relationship with a Chinese official at the center of the Beijing spy case. Just recently, leaked emails showed Ferguson asking Epstein for forgiveness for publicly denouncing him.
Years ago, Prince Andrew first lost the role of senior royal because he made light of his connection with Epstein. He was supposed to sort of fade into the background after that, but he never really has, and neither has Sarah Ferguson. That’s likely why the King reportedly started considering other options. The two have also reportedly not been invited to spend Christmas with the family at Sandringham.
A source close to King Charles told The Times not that long ago, “You can’t sack someone from being your brother. But this year, if the duke and duchess were both to be as honourable [as last year], it would be very much for the best and the family would not be disappointed, not least to avoid the King having to make any more difficult decisions.”
Seven charities removed Sarah Ferguson as patron or ambassador after the recent scandal of her apology to Epstein. Those charities are Prevent Breast Cancer, the Teenage Cancer Trust, Children’s Hospice Julia’s House, the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, the Children’s Literacy Charity, and the British Heart Foundation. And now, it seems like the rest of the family is cutting ties with her and Prince Andrew, at least in public.