UPDATED with Giuffre Family statement: Prince Andrew will be stripped of his royal titles by King Charles III amid continued controversy over his links to child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, most recently in the heartbreaking posthumous memoir of Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein’s most prominent accusers. Giuffre took her own life in April. Her book was published earlier this month.
A statement from Buckingham Palace said: “His Majesty has today initiated a formal process to remove the Style, Titles and Honours of Prince Andrew. Prince Andrew will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.”
Andrew will also be forced to leave his home at Royal Lodge in Windsor after The Times of London revealed he had not paid rent on the property for two decades. He was charged “one peppercorn” per year for the mansion.
“Formal notice has now been served to surrender the lease and he will move to alternative private accommodation,” Buckingham Palace’s statement continued. “These censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him.”
It continued: “Their Majesties wish to make clear that their thoughts and utmost sympathies have been, and will remain with, the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse.”
It completes a historic humbling of Andrew, who has been dogged by allegations relating to his closeness to Epstein and his relationship with Giuffre. In her memoir, Giuffre repeated allegations that, at 17, she was forced to have sex with Andrew on three separate occasions.
In response to this morning’s news, Giuffre’s family issued a statement on her behalf to multiple outlets.
“Today, an ordinary American girl from an ordinary American family brought down a British prince with her truth and extraordinary courage,” it reads.
“Virginia Roberts Giuffre, our sister, a child when she was sexually assaulted by Andrew, never stopped fighting for accountability for what had happened to her and to countless other survivors like her.
“Today, she declares victory. We, her family, along with her survivor sisters, continue Virginia’s battle and will not rest until the same accountability applies to all of her abusers and abetters [sic.], connected to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.”
Losing his Prince title follows Andrew voluntarily giving up other titles, including the Duke of York, earlier this month. In a statement at the time, he said he continued to “vigorously deny the accusations against me.”