Prince Andrew says he will no longer use his titles, including Duke of York, after "discussion with the King"
"We have concluded the continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family," a statement from Prince Andrew says – read it in full here
He will remain a prince – but will cease to be the Duke of York, a title received from his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth
Prince Andrew has been under increasing pressure over his links with late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and has faced a series of scandals – in the statement he reiterates: "I vigorously deny the accusations against me"
His ex-wife will be known as Sarah Ferguson and no longer Duchess of York, but their daughters will continue to have the title of princess
Andrew might be seen as having to jump before he was pushed, as the Palace had seemed increasingly exasperated at the scandals that kept swirling around him, our royal correspondent Sean Coughlan says
Edited by Ben Hatton and Rorey Bosotti, with royal correspondent Sean Coughlan
Prince Andrew is giving up his titles, including the Duke of York, following “discussion with the King”.
In a statement, Prince Andrew said that the “continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family.”
Prince Andrew will remain a prince, but will cease to be the Duke of York – a title received from his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth – as well as giving up membership of the Order of the Garter, the oldest and most senior order of chivalry in Britain.
Prince Andrew has been under growing pressure over his links with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In the statement, he said: "I vigorously deny the accusations against me."
Sarah Ferguson, his former wife, will no longer be known as the Duchess of York, but their daughters – Beatrice and Eugenie – will continue to have the title of princess.
The brother of Virginia Giuffre – the woman who alleged that Prince Andrew had sex with her at Ghislaine Maxwell’s house when she was 17 – told BBC Newsnight that it was a “joyous moment” for survivors of Epstein. Ms Giuffre died by suicide earlier this year.
We’ll be ending our live coverage now – but you can stay updated through our news story.
Also on BBC Newsnight a littler earlier was Epstein accuser Haley Robson, who says today has delivered “a little bit of accountability” but that Virginia Giuffre “should be here”.
“It’s been extremely bittersweet for me. I have moments of joyous tears where I’m just flabbergasted that something finally broke,” she says.
Giuffre “started this fight and we’re going to see it through”, she says, adding “I really wish that she could have been here to see all of what she started”.
“Having him step down and be stripped of his titles is something that is long delayed, and it is very appropriate, and kudos to King Charles,” she adds.
Sky goes onto say his late sister would be "very proud" but that there is more to do.
"Let's not get too high on our highs and let's not get too low in our lows.
"Let's take this as a win," he says, adding that Prince Andrew knows what the truth was, Sky adds.
"We should use this as a moment to move us forward."
Giuffre's brother Sky is asked if he has had any contact from Prince Andrew, the Palace or the King.
“I would welcome any contact,” he says.
“I think it’s so important for the world to know how much of a hero she was, but how much is still left… the stone is still left unturned to some degree. This is just one step of many,” he says.
“We would call on the King to potentially go ahead and take out the ‘prince’ in the Andrew,” he says.
Sky continues, saying today is a "joyous moment" for survivors around the world – providing acknowledgement that "this actually happened, what we're saying is the truth"
Amanda says this is "only the beginning of what is to come" and that the family will be "relentless".
She says the story is far bigger than the US. The Department of Justice having only released 1% of documents related to Epstein, she adds, and the country holds "the key" to bring down "all the enablers" and co-conspirators of Epstein's crimes.
"We won't stop until it happens," she says.
We can now bring you some lines from BBC Newsnight's interview with Virginia Giuffre's brother.
Sky Roberts says the family has mixed emotions after the announcement today.
“We have shed a lot of happy and sad tears today. I think happy because in a lot of ways this vindicates Virginia” he says, describing her as a “truth teller”.
“I think this is a moment where we feel very proud for her but we’re also sad because she should be sitting here,” he says, with emotion in his voice.
“All the years of work that she put in is now coming to some sort of justice,” he says.
We've been out canvassing people's opinions on Prince Andrew's decision to stop using his titles – watch below.
As a reminder, Prince Andrew says he will no longer use the Duke of York title and he has also given up membership of the Order of the Garter.
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Members of the public react to Prince Andrew giving up his royal titles
We're expecting to hear from the family of Virginia Giuffre – who became a prominent accuser of Jeffrey Epstein and Prince Andrew – on BBC Newsnight.
Giuffre claimed she was sexually assaulted by Prince Andrew three times after being trafficked by Epstein.
The prince has vigorously denied all claims against him and reached an out-of-court settlement with her in 2022, which contained no admission of liability or apology.
In his statement on Friday, he said: "As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me."
Giuffre's brother Sky and her sister-in-law Amanda will speak to Newsnight from 22:30 – you can watch at the top of this page.
Prince Andrew’s announcement will come as a "great relief" to Buckingham Palace, royal commentator Jennie Bond says.
Speaking to the BBC News Channel, the former BBC royal correspondent says “enormous pressure” on Andrew had been exerted from his brother, the King, and also from his nephew, Prince William.
"We could say [Prince Andrew] has fallen on his sword, but I think he’s been pushed onto it," she adds.
"I don’t think this is a decision that Andrew, quite an arrogant man – very, very fond of his status – would have willingly made without a lot of pressure."
As our royal correspondent Sean Coughlan wrote earlier, Prince Andrew has faced intense scrutiny over his links with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
In a 2019 BBC Newsnight interview, the prince talked about his friendship with Epstein, making headlines the world round.
Speaking to Emily Maitlis – a presenter on the show at the time – he disputed the account of an American woman who said that she was forced to have sex with him aged 17.
Virginia Giuffre – then called Virginia Roberts – said that she met Prince Andrew in a nightclub in 2001. But the prince says that he took his daughter to Pizza Express in Woking that day before spending the night at home.
You can watch the key moments from the interview below.
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Watch highlights from the 2019 Prince Andrew interview that inspired Scoop
As we've been reporting, Prince Andrew has confirmed he's relinquishing all of his remaining titles – including the Duke of York, a title previously held by his grandfather George VI.
Additionally, he's also giving up the titles of Earl of Inverness and Baron of Killyleagh.
Contemporary historian Anthony Seldon says the removal of Prince Andrew’s titles is a "decisive moment" for the Royal Family.
The last time a dukedom was taken away from a senior royal was more than 100 years ago, he tells the BBC News channel.
That was in 1919, when Prince Charles Edward – one of Queen Victoria’s grandsons – lost the title of Duke of Albany for fighting on the German side during World War One, Seldon says.
"Looking historically, this is a very, very significant step," says Seldon.
Sean Coughlan
Royal correspondent
The big picture here is that Prince Andrew is giving up the remaining vestiges of his royal life.
But as the son of the late Queen he remains a prince and as such stays as eighth in the line of succession.
He is also still theoretically a counsellor of state, who are the stand-ins for the King if he's overseas or unwell.
But it is only theoretical, because as a non-working royal he wouldn't be asked. As is the case with many of his roles now, it's classed as "inactive".
Prince Andrew is dressing this up as if it was his decision, when really it would have made by the Palace, says Robert Hardman, who has written a biography of King Charles.
The decision, Hardman says, is the culmination of several issues, including his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein as well as with an alleged Chinese spy.
"Things are simply not going away," Hardman tells the BBC News Channel.
"And I think the palace has decided, and Prince Andrew has agreed, that there really has to be a further separation.
"He wants to look as if he's proactive and try and regain some dignity out of this."
What's more, Hardman says, Prince Andrew hasn't really been stripped of any titles. Rather, he simply won't use them any more.
"Nothing really has changed constitutionally. What has changed is that he's not going to use these titles."Sean Coughlan
Royal correspondent
Prince Andrew is no longer using his titles and honours, but – as we reported earlier – he will remain a prince.
The title of prince was his from birth, as the son of the monarch, Queen Elizabeth II.
The titles that he will lose were given to him later in life, including his title as Duke of York, which he was given when he got married in 1986.Sean Coughlan
Royal correspondent
The statement from Prince Andrew emphasises that this was his decision to stop using his titles.
But it might be seen as having to jump before he was pushed, as the Palace had seemed increasingly exasperated at the scandals that kept swirling around Andrew.
He now won't be at the royal Christmas events this year – but he missed them last year because of connections to an alleged Chinese spy.
The links with Jeffrey Epstein kept being raised, despite Andrew's strong denials of any wrongdoing.
And next week will see the publication of a posthumous memoir from Virginia Giuffre, who had reached a financial settlement with Prince Andrew.
There was a growing sense that something would have to happen.
Today's announcement comes days before the posthumous memoir of Jeffrey Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre is due for release – almost six months after she took her own life.
Extracts from the book, Nobody's Girl, were published in the Guardian on Wednesday.
Her book, which calls Epstein a "master manipulator", describes three occasions where she alleges Prince Andrew had sex with her, including at Ghislaine Maxwell's house in London.
It's further embarrassment for Prince Andrew, who reached a financial settlement with Giuffre in 2022, and has always denied any wrongdoing.
Giuffre, who met Jeffrey Epstein through Ghislaine Maxwell, claimed that she was one of many vulnerable girls and young women who had been sexually exploited by Epstein and his circle of wealthy connections.
The powerful friends were claimed to include Prince Andrew and the extract published in the Guardian gives her account of when they met in London in March 2001, when she was aged 17.
Prince Andrew denies all the accusations made against him.Sean Coughlan
Royal correspondent
Prince Andrew's decision to stop using his titles was made in consultation with Prince William as well as the King.
There has often been speculation about the apparent frostiness in relations between William and his uncle.
This is unlikely to bring them any closer.
Prince Andrew had already given up several titles before today's announcement.
He stopped using the style His Royal Highness, or HRH, in 2022 amid the civil case from Virginia Giuffre which he eventually settled without admitting wrongdoing.
All of his military affiliations and royal patronages were returned to his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, who was the monarch at the time.
Andrew lost more than a dozen military titles in total, including overseas honorary titles.
Among them was Colonel of the Grenadier Guards – one of the most senior infantry regiments in the British Army.
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