Featured Image Credit: Mark Kauzlarich/Bloomberg via Getty Image/Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images
Topics: Prince Andrew, Virginia Giuffre, Royal Family, Jeffrey Epstein, UK News, Ghislaine Maxwell
Liv Bridge
Topics: Prince Andrew, Virginia Giuffre, Royal Family, Jeffrey Epstein, UK News, Ghislaine Maxwell
Virginia Giuffre's family is celebrating after the King decided to formally strip his brother of his royal title.
On Thursday (October 30), King Charles III formally removed Prince Andrew's Duke of York and HRH titles in a bombshell announcement from Buckingham Palace.
The move means that Prince Andrew's role in public has effectively been switched to that of a commoner, and he will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
The drastic decision comes in the wake of Jeffrey Epstein accuser, Virginia Giuffre's posthumous memoir, which documented her sexual abuse at the hands of the late convicted pedophile, and his alleged connection to the former prince.
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In her book, she claims she was paid to have sex with Andrew when she was a teenager at 17 years old, accusations which Andrew has continuously denied.
Although Andrew denies the allegations, Buckingham Palace considers there have been 'serious lapses of judgement', The Independent reports.
Now, Giuffre's family are rejoicing over the decision, saying she 'brought down a British prince with her truth and extraordinary courage'.
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Giuffre sadly died by suicide at her home in Australia in April this year at the age of 41, before her memoir Nobody's Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice hit shelves.
Her family said she 'never stopped fighting for accountability for what had happened to her and countless other survivors like her' throughout her life.
“Today, she declares a victory. We, her family, along with her survivor sisters, continue Virginia's battle and will not rest until the same accountability applies to all of her abusers and abetters, connected to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell," they added.
The King's decision comes as the UK Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) raised questions about the 'value for money' of the Duke’s taxpayer-subsidised lifestyle after he stepped down from royal duties in 2019.
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In a statement announcing the move, Buckingham Palace said the lease on his 'Royal Lodge' is up, with a formal notice served to surrender it, meaning he will move into alternative private accommodation.
"His Majesty has today initiated a formal process to remove the Style, Titles and Honours of Prince Andrew," the statement from the King said. "These censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him.
"Their Majesties wish to make clear that their thoughts and utmost sympathies have been, and will remain with, the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse."
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However, Giuffre's brother, Sky Roberts, is also pushing for further sanctions against Andrew.
Speaking to BBC Newsnight, he thanked King Charles for his 'thoughts' and 'sympathies', but said more still needs to be done.
"But it’s not enough, it’s not enough, we have to have some sort of investigation that goes further into this," he said. “I mean, he’s [Andrew] still walking around a free man.
“I commend the King, I think he’s doing an amazing job as a world leader, setting a precedent, but we need to take it one more step further: he [Andrew] needs to be behind bars, period.”