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

Prince Andrew published a statement on Friday saying that he was giving up his titles, and stressing he denies all accusations against him:

“In discussion with The King, and my immediate and wider family, we have concluded the 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.”

Virginia Giuffre was born in 1983 in California and grew up in Loxahatchee, Florida.

At the age of seven, she says she was abused by a family friend. She was later in and out of foster care, living on the streets by 14.

In the year 2000, she met British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell while getting back on her feet, working as a locker room attendant at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort.

She said Maxwell offered her an interview to train as a massage therapist and claimed the socialite gave her instructions on how to massage Epstein at his home in Palm Beach while he was naked.

Giuffre claimed that the job interview soon turned into years of abuse, both from Epstein and his associates.

In 2001, aged 17, she says she met Prince Andrew in London and was told she “had to do for Andrew what I do for Jeffrey”. Andrew said in 2019 he had no recollection of meeting Giuffre.

Giuffre ultimately left, married and moved to Australia to start a family in Perth. She founded a non-profit, Speak Out, Act, Reclaim, aimed at “education and advocating for victims of trafficking”.

Sky Roberts told Newsnight that he would “welcome any contact” from the Royal Family, asked if he had had any contact from Andrew, the Palace or the King.

Virginia Giuffre’s posthumous memoir is due to be published on Tuesday, October 21.

Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir Of Surviving Abuse And Fighting For Justice is described by the publishers as “a remarkable recounting of one woman’s fortitude in the face of depravity and despair, and the legacy she leaves behind”.

Excerpts seen by The Sun and The Guardian reference Giuffre’s trauma years after she alleged abuse by Jeffrey Epstein and his circle.

The memoir calls Epstein a “master manipulator” and describes three instances in which she alleges Prince Andrew had sex with her.

Giuffre died at the age of 41, six months after completing the book, which is co-written with author Amy Wallace.

Virginia Giuffre’s sister-in-law said this is “only the beginning of what is to come” after Prince Andrew gave up his titles on Friday.

Speaking to Newsnight with Giuffre’s brother, Sky Roberts, Amanda said the story is far bigger than apparent, and that the family will be “relentless”.

Sky said that the work his sister “put in is now coming to some sort of justice”.

The Queen had a great personal affection for the title, which she gave to Andrew on the morning of his wedding.

It was a title once held by her father, King George VI, before he acceded the throne.

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 message is reported to also cast doubt on another of the claims Andrew, 65, made in his infamous 2019 interview with Newsnight – that his meeting with Ms Giuffre “didn’t happen”.

“This is not just a victory for her, but for every single survivor of the horrific crimes perpetrated by [Jeffrey] Epstein and his co-conspirators”, family members told The New York Post in a statement.

The family has called for Andrew, who has denied all wrongdoing, including Giuffre’s allegations, to lose his title of prince next.

Giuffre, who died by suicide earlier this year, was one of the first people to publicly call for charges against Epstein and has been an outspoken advocate for his alleged victims.