(MENAFN) Britain’s Prince Andrew has decided to give up his remaining royal titles following revelations in the posthumous memoir of Virginia Giuffre, the woman who accused him of sexual misconduct connected to the late American financier Jeffrey Epstein. This announcement represents the latest development in a scandal that has long cast a shadow over the monarchy.

Epstein, arrested in 2019 on charges of sex trafficking minors, was accused of running a network in which influential individuals exploited underage girls. He died in jail later that year, with authorities ruling his death a suicide.

In 2021, Prince Andrew faced a sexual abuse lawsuit from Giuffre, a survivor of Epstein’s trafficking operation, who claimed she was coerced into sexual encounters with his associates, including the prince, while underage. Although Andrew denied the claims—and reached an undisclosed settlement with Giuffre in 2022—recent excerpts from Giuffre’s memoir, Nobody’s Girl, brought renewed scrutiny. In her book, Giuffre, who died by suicide in April, stated that the prince considered himself “entitled” to sex with her and regarded it as “his birthright.”

In an official statement, Prince Andrew said his decision was prompted by the ongoing pressure surrounding the scandal, which he described as a distraction from the monarchy’s work. “I have decided, as I always have, to put my duty to my family and country first,” he said. “I will therefore no longer use my title or the honors which have been conferred upon me.” He emphasized that he “vigorously” denies the allegations made against him.

Andrew had previously stepped back from royal responsibilities after his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, removed his military titles and patronages. He will now also give up the title Duke of York, his knighthood, and his position as a Royal Knight Companion of the Order of the Garter. He will, however, retain the status of prince by birth, and his daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, will continue to hold their titles.

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