Prince Andrew gives up all titles including Duke of York after discussion with King Charles: Live updates

Liberal Democrat councillor Darryl Smalley has expressed relief after he campaigned for City of York council to remove Prince Andrew’s freedom of the city status and for the royal to be stripped of his Duke of York title.

“We’d obviously lobbied quite hard and sent several letters to the palace and to Prince Andrew himself, all of which via recorded post and none of which was answered, but obviously a few years later the pressure has meant that the palace has had to act,” Mr Smalley told PA on Friday.

“It’s obviously a long time coming but finally they recognised what a massive liability he is.”

He added: “Pleased that a long-running campaign has actually led to something. It’s not often in politics, particularly the royal family, that they seem to listen.

“However, obviously, it’s yet another moment where we need to think about those who are impacted by what Jeffrey Epstein did and all of his associates.”

Andrew was stripped of his freedom of the city status after a unanimous council vote in 2022.

Prince Andrew acted as though having sex with Virginia Giuffre was his “birthright”, she claimed in her posthumous memoir.

Ms Giuffre, who was central figure in the downfall of disgraced paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, died at the age of 41 in April, six months after completing the book, which lays out new details of allegations of sexual abuse against Prince Andrew.

Ms Giuffre, who settled a sexual assault lawsuit against the Duke of York, alleges the duke slept with her on three separate occasions. Prince Andrew has always vehemently denied any wrongdoing.

In an extract of the book, Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir Of Surviving Abuse And Fighting For Justice, Ms Giuffre described the prince as “friendly enough, but entitled” as she had sex with him on various occasions, including while staying at the house of Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s former girlfriend, near Hyde Park, London, in March 2001.

The extract, published in The Guardian, states: “Maxwell woke me up that morning by announcing in a sing-songy voice: ‘Get out of bed, sleepyhead!’ It was going to be a special day, she said. Just like Cinderella, I was going to meet a handsome prince!”

“As a Royal.. if you’re not safeguarding the most vulnerable people in your community, why should you hold those positions of power?” Virginia Giuffre’s sister-in-law, Amanda Roberts, told BBC Newsnight last month.

Her comments came after it emerged that Sarah Ferguson, the then-Duchess of York, had called sex offender Jeffrey Epstein a “supreme friend”.

A spokesperson for Ferguson told the BBC that the comment was written to counter Epstein’s threat to sue for defamation, and that she regretted any association with him.

York Central MP Rachael Maskell has said it is time for legislation to give the King power to remove titles after Prince Andrew announced he would no longer use his.

She said: “I have long called for the title of the Duke of York to be removed in the light that it carries an ambassadorial association with our city.

“York is England’s only UN Human Rights City and stands for a higher set of values and when polled, 80% of York residents voted for the removal of the title.

“Having sought to change the law through my Removal of Titles Bill, I now think it is time for this legislation, which provides the King new powers to be able to remove titles or for a grand committee of both Houses of Parliament to make a recommendation to the King to remove a title.”

The Duke of York also reportedly told his paedophile friend “we’ll play some more soon” in the email dated 28 February 2011 – three months after the date he told the BBC he had severed contact with the disgraced financier.

The royal had faced fresh scandals in recent days, including meeting a senior Beijing official at the heart of the China spy scandal at least three times, according to reports.

Widely purported to have been the late Queen’s “favourite” child, Prince Andrew has suffered a sharp fall from grace over the last decade.

Plagued by a string of controversies, the latest blow has seen new messages between the duke and Jeffrey Epstein come to light – sent months after Andrew claimed to have cut the disgraced financier off.

Emails between Andrew and Epstein handed to a court in London reportedly show they were still exchanging messages until at least late February 2011, when the duke wrote: “Keep in close touch and we’ll play some more soon.”

Andrew will retain the dukedom, which can only be removed by an Act of Parliament, but not use it.

He will also give up his knighthood as a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) and his Garter role as a Royal Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter.

Andrew has stopped using his remaining titles and honours, including the Duke of York, but he will remain a prince.

As the son of the late Queen Elizabeth he is still 8th in line to the throne.

The King’s brother will retain the dukedom, which can only be removed by an Act of Parliament but he will not use the title.

He will also give up his knighthood as a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) and his Garter role as a Royal Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter.

The honours will both remain in existence but will not be used.