(MENAFN) Prince Andrew of the United Kingdom has stepped down from his last remaining royal responsibilities following new claims from the late Virginia Giuffre's memoir.

Giuffre, the woman who had previously accused the prince of sexual assault linked to the deceased American financier Jeffrey Epstein, has brought renewed attention to a controversy that has long troubled the British royal family.

This latest development comes as the monarchy continues to grapple with the long-term repercussions of the Epstein case.

Jeffrey Epstein, who was taken into custody in 2019 on charges related to the trafficking of underage individuals, was alleged to have managed a vast exploitation network involving influential associates.

Later that year, he was found dead in his prison cell, with authorities declaring the cause as suicide.

In 2021, Virginia Giuffre filed a legal complaint against Prince Andrew, accusing him of sexually abusing her when she was 17 years old.

She claimed she had been coerced into engaging in sexual acts with several of Epstein’s associates, including the prince himself.

Although Andrew consistently denied these claims, the matter was settled out of court in 2022 with the terms kept confidential.

Recently, the scandal has been reignited by the British media, which published passages from Giuffre’s memoir titled ‘Nobody’s Girl’, released posthumously. Giuffre, who died by suicide in April, wrote that the prince believed he was “entitled” to sex with her and viewed it as “his birthright.”

These disturbing assertions have once again placed the prince under scrutiny.

Responding to the revived public outrage, Buckingham Palace issued a statement on Friday in which Prince Andrew acknowledged that he would be relinquishing his titles.

He explained that the continuing controversy “distracts from the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family,” indicating his intention to reduce the impact on the monarchy’s public role.

MENAFN19102025000045017167ID1110216345