Prince Andrew has announced he will not use his royal title of Duke of York after discussions with the Royal Family, but the completion of his fall from grace has been a long time coming
The favoured son of the late Queen Elizabeth, Prince Andrew’s fall from grace seems complete, with the announcement that after discussions with the King and the rest of the Royal Family, he will “voluntarily” give up the use of his royal title, the Duke of York.
Andrew said in a statement, “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. As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me.”
The publication of his accuser, Virginia Giuffre’s, posthumous memoir is imminent, and new reports about his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have recently emerged, perhaps the final nail in the coffin of Andrew’s public life.
But the wheels were set in motion for his fall from grace decades ago – the Mirror breaks down the complete timeline of Andrew’s disgrace.
1990s: Andrew meets Epstein for the first time
Andrew has claimed that he first met the disgraced financier in 1999, though “his girlfriend”, claiming that after their introduction they only ever met intermittently, “once or twice a year”.
However, others have claimed that Andrew met Epstein earlier in the decade. The court heard during Ghislaine Maxwell’s trial for sex trafficking that Andrew had flown on Epstein’s private plane – dubbed the ‘Lolita Express’ – in the mid-90s.
According to royal author Andrew Lownie, in his explosive biography of Andrew and ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, the former couple “had known the financier for almost a decade” by 1999, citing Andrew’s private secretary as a source.
In April 1999, Epstein is alleged to have thrown a lavish dinner in Andrew’s honour at his New York home, and the King’s brother is also said to have visited Epstein’s private island, Little St. James, in the Caribbean that year.
Andrew is also said to have invited both Epstein and Maxwell to Balmoral, the late Queen’s favourite of the royal residences, with a picture of the couple at a log cabin on the estate, believed to be from this occasion, entered into evidence during Maxwell’s trial.
2000 – Epstein’s visit to Windsor Castle
In 2000, Epstein and Maxwell were both invited to a party at Windsor Castle, where a series of landmark royal birthdays were celebrated: Andrew’s 40th, the Queen Mother’s 100th, Princess Anne’s 50th, and Princess Margaret’s 70th.
Andrew was also a passenger that year on the Lolita Express once again, per flight records.
2001 – Sexual assault allegations
Virginia Guiffre alleged that Andrew sexually assaulted her three times in 2001 when she was 17. She claimed this occurred once at Maxwell’s London townhouse, where a photograph was taken of the young woman, Andrew, and the disgraced socialite.
Virginia said another assault took place at Epstein’s New York home, and the third took place on his private island, where she took part in an “orgy” with Andrew, Epstein, and other young girls.
Andrew categorically denies these allegations.
2008 – Epstein convicted for prostituting minors
In 2008, Epstein pleaded guilty in Florida to prostituting minors – though he claimed he believed they were over 18 – and was given a sentence of 18 months in prison.
For much of his sentence, he had a work release program, which meant he could go to his office in the daytime, but had to return to prison at night.
2009 – Allegations build against Epstein and Andrew
After his release from prison, more allegations continued to emerge about Epstein, and in this year, it is claimed by the sex offender’s former housekeeper that Andrew had “daily massages” at Epstein’s home in Florida.
2010 – Andrew visits Epstein in New York
Andrew was photographed visiting Epstein in New York in December 2010, despite the fact that the financier was a convicted paedophile. Andrew has claimed that he went to New York to end the friendship in person, because he believed it to be “the honourable and right thing to do,” describing himself as “too honourable”.
He also said he stayed with the convicted sex offender because it was “convenient” but admitted in “hindsight…it was definitely the wrong thing to do”.
2011 – Andrew still in contact with Epstein, quits trade envoy role
Andrew had for some years worked as a trade envoy for the UK, but he gave up the role amid the ongoing controversy over the photos of him and Epstein walking in a New York park.
He had publicly said he had cut contact with his former friend in 2010, but an email recently emerged that shows they were still in touch, with Andrew telling Epstein, “we’re in this together” after the photo of Andrew, Virginia, and Maxwell was made public.
2015 – Virginia launches legal action against Epstein
Virginia launched a legal claim against Epstein in Florida, and Andrew was named in some of the court filings. It has been claimed that Andrew contacted his long-time friend Ghislaine Maxwell for help, writing, “Let me know when we can talk. Got some specific questions to ask you about Virginia Roberts.”
Buckingham Palace at this time denies that Andrew has done anything wrong.
2016 – Virginia testifies about Andrew
As part of her legal action against Epstein, Virginia testifies that she was paid $15,000 (£11,180), by the financier to sleep with Andrew and details their alleged sexual encounters.
2018 – Andrew befriends alleged ‘Chinese spy’
During 2018, Andrew was known to have met with an alleged Chinese spy, Yang Tengbo, twice at Buckingham Palace, with Andrew inviting him to other royal residences.
The two men worked together on Andrew’s Pitch@Palace initiative, of which Yang was establishing the Chinese arm. Yang has denied being a spy for the Chinese.
However, he has been banned from entering the UK on the grounds of national security.
2019 – Epstein suicide and Andrew Newsnight interview
On August 10, Epstein was found dead in his prison cell as he awaited trial for sex trafficking. More allegations have been made by another of Epstein’s alleged victims about Andrew, with Johanna Sjoberg claiming the royal touched her breast.
In the weeks after the apparent suicide of his former friend, Andrew released a statement saying: “At no stage during the limited time I spent with him (Epstein) did I see, witness or suspect any behaviour of the sort that subsequently led to his arrest and conviction.”
Andrew decides to undertake a landmark interview with Newsnight about his relationship with the disgraced financier three months after Epstein’s death.
The now-infamous interview does not go well, widely deemed a “car crash” – it saw Andrew claim he cannot sweat, and was at Pizza Express in Woking the night he was alleged to have assaulted Virginia.
The public backlash was swift, and Andrew announced he would step back from royal duties shortly afterwards.
After seeming unconcerned about the victims in his interview with Emily Maitlis, he says in this statement that he “deeply sympathised” with them, and was “willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency with their investigations”.
2020 – Chinese ‘spy’ Andrew’s ‘closest confidante’
Andrew’s relationship with Yang, the alleged spy, continued, with his aide writing in a letter to Yang: “You should never underestimate the strength of that relationship… Outside of his closest internal confidants, you sit at the very top of a tree that many, many people would like to be on.”
Yang was also invited to Andrew’s birthday party.
Andrew’s legal team reiterates that he has offered to help authorities in the US with their investigations into Maxwell and Epstein on “at least three occasions” after US prosecutors claim he has “provided zero co-operation”.
The prosecutor said in response to Andrew’s claims that he had offered to help that the royal “yet again sought to falsely portray himself to the public as eager and willing to co-operate” despite the fact that Andrew had “repeatedly declined”.
2021 – Virginia launches legal action against Andrew
Virginia said it was “past the time for him to be held to account” when she launched a civil case against Andrew in the US, and at the end of the year, Maxwell was convicted of sex trafficking
.
2022 – Queen Elizabeth lays down the law
In early 2022, her Platinum Jubilee year, the late Queen stripped Andrew of his HRH styling and honorary military positions, after it was ruled in the US that Virginia’s civil case against Andrew can go forward, and there was outcry from the public.
All of his royal patronages were removed, and the palace said in a statement that Andrew would be “defending this case as a private citizen”.
In February, Andrew reached an out-of-court settlement with his accuser, reported to be in the millions, despite the fact that he still claims he never met her.
2024 – Andrew named in ‘spy’ scandal
In late 2024, Andrew was named in court documents as a “close” confidant of the alleged Chinese spy. Though he claims he “ceased all contact” with Yang after concerns had been brought to him, he is banned from the royal Christmas celebrations at Sandringham due to the controversy.
2025 – Virginia Giuffre commits suicide, leaving tell-all memoir
In April 2025, Virginia Giuffre died by suicide at the age of 41 in Western Australia, with her family saying that after a lifetime of campaigning for victims of sex trafficking, the “toll of abuse…became unbearable”.
Her father has insisted that he does not believe she committed suicide, saying “someone got to her,” but authorities have said there was “not suspicious”.
Andrew’s accuser left behind a memoir, called Nobody’s Girl, which is due to be published on 21 October, in which she wrote he believed Andrew to be “entitled” and that he thought it “his birthright” to have sex with her.
It is widely reported that Prince William, the future King, wants to “freeze out” his disgraced uncle.
On 17 October, Andrew announces through Buckingham Palace that he will be relinquishing the use of his royal titles.