Prince Andrew suffers another public blow after giving up his royal titles amid Jeffrey Epstein controversy

Prince Andrew has suffered yet another blow after giving up his royal titles amid the controversy around his connections to Jeffrey Epstein.

Earlier this month, Prince Andrew took a further step away from the Royal Family by announcing he was no longer using his royal titles, including the 'Duke of York' title.

A statement from Andrew released on Friday (October 17) read: "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."

Prince Andrew recently gave up his royal titles (Steve Parsons - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

In a recent update, Prince Andrew's banner, bearing his coat of arms, has been removed from Windsor Castle.

The red, blue, white and yellow flag represents Andrew's membership of the Order of the Garter, but it is no longer hanging in Windsor's St George's Chapel.

Andrew was given the banner when he became a Knight of the Garter back in 2006. While it is believed to have been hanging in the quire until recently, the banner has now been removed, and only three remain.

The banner features England's three lions, as well as the Irish harp and Scotland's red lion rampant.

Prince Andrew's banner has been removed from St George's Chapel (Art Images via Getty Images)

According to the BBC, it is believed to have been taken down earlier in the week.

Meanwhile, The Sun claim that the banner was on display on Saturday (October 19) but removed on Wednesday (October 22).

UNILAD has reached out to Buckingham Palace, as well as Andrew's reps, for comment.

Andrew became embroiled in controversy after his connections to Epstein emerged back in 2011.

Andrew has taken a further step away from the Royal Family (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

Virginia Giuffre alleged that she was trafficked by Epstein at the age of 17 and was made to have sex with Prince Andrew in 2001 — something he has always denied.

Such allegations surfaced in 2015 in court documents relating to Epstein, and the former Duke of York ended up paying Giuffre a settlement in 2022, after she filed a civil suit against him.

Two years prior to the settlement, Prince Andrew was forced to suspend all his royal duties. Sadly, Giuffre died by suicide at the age of 41 in April 2025.