The government is facing pressure to formally strip Prince Andrew of his titles following new allegations against the King’s brother in Virginia Giuffre’s memoirs.
Prince Andrew gave up using all his titles and honours on Friday, but he will still technically hold these titles until they are removed by an Act of Parliament.
The Scottish National Party (SNP) has warned new legislation must be put forward without "any excuses and any further delay".
Racheal Maskell, the independent MP for York Central, told Sky News the majority of her constituents don’t want the duke "to carry a title bearing the name of our city".
Ms Giuffre alleged in her memoir, which Andrew vehemently denies, that she was forced to have sex with the prince three times, including when she was 17, after being trafficked by paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
She also claimed the King’s brother considered it his “birth right” to sleep with her and that she feared she might “die a sex slave” at the hands of Epstein’s circle.
Ms Giuffre’s autobiography has 88 references to him across 400 pages.
Andrew paid her a sum – reported to be as much as £12m – to settle a civil sexual assault case, despite claiming never to have met her.
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Key Points
- Virginia Giuffre ‘would have viewed Prince Andrew giving up titles as a victory’
- SNP puts forward Bill to strip Andrew of dukedom
- Prince Andrew tried to hire internet trolls to harass me, Giuffre writes in her memoir
- All the major revelations in Giuffre memoir
- Law stripped royal descendants of titles in 1919
- Andrew rightly guessed Giuffre was under age
King has ‘acted decisively’ over Prince Andrew matters, Cabinet minister suggests
08:10
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Rebecca Whittaker
The Independent’s political correspondent Caitlin Doherty reports:
The “King has acted pretty decisively” over matters regarding Prince Andrew, a Cabinet minister has suggested.
Business Secretary Peter Kyle told Sky News that the Prince’s lease on Royal Lodge in Windsor is “a matter for His Majesty the King”, after the tenancy agreement detailed that Andrew has not paid rent on the property for more than two decades.
Asked if he had any opinion on the matter, Mr Kyle told the broadcaster: “Those are matters for His Majesty the King.
The lease is with the Crown Estate and those are matters for the King. And I think we’ve seen in recent days, the King has acted pretty decisively when these things get on to his desk.”
Labour backs Buckingham Palace's decision to strip Andrew's titles, says minister
08:00
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Maroosha Muzaffar
Virginia Giuffre ‘would have viewed Prince Andrew giving up titles as a victory’
07:55
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Rebecca Whittaker
Virginia Giuffre would have viewed Prince Andrew relinquishing use of his Duke of York title as a victory, the co-author of her posthumous memoirs has said.
Co-writer of Nobody’s Girl, Amy Wallace, told BBC Newsnight that she could speak for Ms Giuffre on the subject of Andrew stopping using his titles.
“I know that she would view it as a victory that he was forced by whatever means to voluntarily give them up,” Ms Wallace said.
“For many, maybe particularly in the United States, but maybe even in the UK, it’s a symbolic gesture but it’s an important one.
“It’s made history, modern history, in terms of the royal era.
“I mean I’ve never heard of such a thing happening and it also is just a step in the right direction.
“Virginia wanted all the men who she’d been trafficked to against her will to be held to account and this is just one of the men but… even though he continues to deny it his life is being eroded because of his past behaviour as it should be.”
MP for York Central says constituents don't want the duke 'to carry a title bearing the name of our city'
07:53
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Rebecca Whittaker
The independent MP for York Central, Rachael Maskell , has called for Prince Andrew to be stripped of his title.
She told Sky News that 88 per cent of her constituents don't want the duke "to carry a title bearing the name of our city".
Speaking on the Politics Hub, she confirmed she is advocating for a change in the law.
"My legislation would be able to be applied to anybody in the future as well, so we wouldn't have this situation ever having to occur again," Ms Maskell added.
Prince Andrew has paid no rent on Royal Lodge for more than 20 years
07:30
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Maroosha Muzaffar
Prince Andrew has not paid rent on his Royal Lodge for more than two decades, according to the tenancy agreement released by The Crown Estate.
The lease, which was sent to The Independent, follows calls for transparency over the royal's residence, with focus returning to Andrew’s 75-year lease of the 30-bedroom Royal Lodge in Windsor after another week of scandal.
The agreement states that Andrew paid £1 million for the lease along with at least £7.5 million for refurbishments in 2005. He has paid only “one peppercorn (if demanded)” in rent per year since 2003.
Andrew and his family are allowed to live in the property until 2078. The latest revelation will pile pressure on the scandal-mired royal to give up the Royal Lodge, which sits on an estate of 98 acres in Windsor Great Park and is leased from the Crown Estate.
The beleaguered royal announced on Friday he will no longer be known as the Duke of York, following continued accusations about his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Read more here:
Prince Andrew ‘could face 20 years in prison’ for sharing Giuffre’s social security number
07:00
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Maroosha Muzaffar
Prince Andrew could face legal trouble in the US over claims that he used his royal protection officer to dig up dirt on Virginia Giuffre, in an alleged bid to discredit her.
The Metropolitan Police has already said it is “actively looking” into these claims.
Now lawyer Spencer Kuvin – who represented nine victims of Epstein – warned that the prince could face a potential US criminal probe for allegedly sharing Giuffre’s nine-digit Social Security number without her consent. Such an offence would carry a maximum jail term of 20 years.
Andrew denies all wrongdoing.
Giuffre recalls first encounter with Prince Andrew in memoir
06:30
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Maroosha Muzaffar
Virginia Giuffre wrote in her memoir that Ghislaine Maxwell told her “just like Cinderella”, she was going to “meet a handsome prince” before introducing her to Prince Andrew, who said, “My daughters are just a little younger than you”.
She recalled that at a nightclub “he was sort of a bumbling dancer, and I remember he sweated profusely”.
Prince Andrew has denied all wrongdoing.
Giuffre alleged that afterward “he seemed in a rush to have intercourse” and “said thank you in his clipped British accent”.
Maxwell later told her, “You did well. The prince had fun.”
Giuffre described Andrew as “friendly enough, but still entitled”, saying Epstein paid her $15,000 for “servicing the man the tabloids called ‘Randy Andy’”.
Trump asked Giuffre to babysit
06:00
,
Jane Dalton
All major revelations in Giuffre memoir
05:30
,
Jane Dalton
Prince Andrew is mentioned 88 times in Virginia Giuffre’s shocking new book:
Opinion: Female victims still being disbelieved and overlooked
05:00
,
Jane Dalton
SNP puts forward Bill to strip Andrew of dukedom
04:30
,
Jane Dalton
Legislation to remove Prince Andrew's dukedom must be put forward without "any further excuses and any further delay", the Scottish National Party says.
The SNP is putting forward a motion to pressure Sir Keir Starmer's government to strip Andrew of the title, which would require an Act of Parliament.
Stephen Flynn, the SNP's Westminster leader, said that "power and privilege" had protected those in the Epstein scandal for far too long and that the legislation to remove the title must be brought forward.
Mr Flynn has submitted an early day motion (EDM) that allows MPs to express an opinion, publicise a cause or support a position. It is rare for them to be debated.
Andrew relinquished his Duke of York title last week but officially continues to hold his dukedom.
Last month the SNP lodged a similar motion to pressure the government to remove Lord Peter Mandelson's peerage. The former UK ambassador to the US was sacked because of his own ties with paedophile financier Epstein.
The SNP's proposed Bill would remove both Prince Andrew's dukedom and Lord Mandelson's peerage.
Prince Andrew tried to hire internet trolls to harass me, Giuffre writes in her memoir
04:01
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Maroosha Muzaffar
Virginia Giuffre’s posthumous memoir “Nobody’s Girl” accuses Prince Andrew’s team of trying to hire internet trolls to harass her and of hiding at Balmoral Castle to avoid being served court papers before their 2022 settlement.
She says the deal, reportedly worth $12m – brought her not just money but an acknowledgment of her suffering and a pledge that Andrew would not malign her again.
“After casting doubt on my credibility for so long – Prince Andrew’s team had even gone so far as to try to hire internet trolls to hassle me – the Duke of York owed me a meaningful apology as well,” she wrote in her memoir.
“We would never get a confession, of course. That’s what settlements are designed to avoid. But we were trying for the next best thing: a general acknowledgment of what I’d been through.”
Prince Andrew has strongly denied any wrongdoing.
We must know how Andrew can be evicted, says ex-minister
03:35
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Jane Dalton
All the major revelations in Giuffre memoir
02:27
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Jane Dalton
Law stripped royal descendants of titles in 1919
01:10
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Jane Dalton
Legislation has been used before to strip titles, including descendants of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert who supported the German side in the First World War.
The Titles Deprivation Act 1917 was used two years later to strip the titles from Leopold Charles, Duke of Albany, Earl of Clarence and Baron Arklow; Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale, Earl of Armagh; Ernest Augustus, Duke of Brunswick, Prince of Great Britain and Ireland; and Henry, Viscount Taaffe of Corren and Baron of Ballymote.
The law remains in force but as it refers specifically to the First World War, its provisions are unlikely to be relevant today.
The government has indicated that it would not introduce any legislation to strip Andrew of his titles unless the King wanted to.
Giuffre's family call on police to resume investigations and watchdog to step in
Tuesday 21 October 2025 00:02
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Jane Dalton
Virginia Giuffre’s brother and sister-in-law have called on the police watchdog to review the decision by the Metropolitan Police to drop its investigations into her allegations against Prince Andrew.
Sky and Amanda Roberts told Channel 4 News that Ms Giuffre had been "gaslit" by the police and authorities, which was a "kick in the stomach" for her.
They have called for the Met to reopen their investigation into Ms Giuffre's claim she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew when she was 17, an allegation he vehemently denies.
And they said that if the London force would not take action, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) should review the decision.
Mr Roberts told podcast The Fourcast that his sister continually asked: "What is it going to take for people to finally believe me?"
Mr Roberts' wife, Amanda, said that in the US the issue had been elevated from the Department of Justice to the House of Representatives and added: "So every branch of government needs to take this seriously."
The IOPC would not comment on the case.
The Metropolitan Police said that following legal advice, it was clear that any investigation into human trafficking would be largely focused on activities and relationships outside the UK.
"Officers therefore concluded that the Met was not the appropriate authority to conduct inquiries in these circumstances and, in November 2016, a decision was made that this matter would not proceed to a full criminal investigation.
"That decision was reviewed in August 2019.
"In November 2019, the Met confirmed that it would remain unchanged."
Timeline of Andrew’s scandals
Monday 20 October 2025 23:11
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Jane Dalton
King visits terror attack synagogue
Monday 20 October 2025 22:10
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Jane Dalton
Andrew ‘met China spymaster at least three times’
Monday 20 October 2025 21:10
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Jane Dalton
In case you missed it: Prince Andrew met a senior Beijing official at the heart of the China spy scandal at least three times, it was reported last week.
We tried for next best thing to confession, Giuffre said
Monday 20 October 2025 20:15
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Jane Dalton
Virginia Giuffre wrote in her autobiography how Andrew hid behind "the well-guarded gates" of Balmoral Castle, making it difficult for her lawyers to serve him with papers.
She also said of her legal settlement: "After casting doubt on my credibility for so long - Prince Andrew's team had even gone so far as to try to hire internet trolls to hassle me - the Duke of York owed me a meaningful apology as well."
Ms Giuffre added: "We would never get a confession, of course. That's what settlements are designed to avoid. But we were trying for the next best thing: a general acknowledgment of what I'd been through."
Andrew paid millions to Ms Giuffre to settle a civil sexual assault case in 2022, despite claiming never to have met her.
Andrew rightly guessed Giuffre was under age
Monday 20 October 2025 19:33
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Jane Dalton
Andrew correctly guessed Virginia Giuffre’s age at 17 when they first met, she wrote in her memoir, Nobody’s Girl.
She said that in 2001 Ghislaine Maxwell, later a convicted sex trafficker, bought her an Burberry purse and three different outfits including "two sexy, sophisticated dresses" to wear for the meeting in Maxwell's London flat.
Ms Giuffre said there was "a third option that I'd lobbied for: a pink V-necked, sleeveless mini T-shirt and a sparkly, multicoloured pair of jeans embroidered with a pattern of interlocking horses".
"After I showered and dried my hair, I put on the jeans and top, which left a strip of my stomach exposed. Maxwell wasn't thrilled, but like most teenage girls then, I idolised Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, and the third outfit was something I imagined the two of them might wear. I told Maxwell it felt more like 'me'," she added.
Maxwell, who "was more coquettish than usual", asked the then-duke to guess Ms Giuffre's age, and Andrew, then 41, guessed correctly at 17, Ms Giuffre wrote.
She said she was paid $15,000 for "serving the man the tabloids called 'Randy Andy’".
How could parliament strip Andrew's titles?
Monday 20 October 2025 18:00
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Athena Stavrou
Andrew relinquished his use of the Duke of York title amid the long-running fallout of the Jeffrey Epstein scandal and the publication of Virginia Giuffre’s posthumous memoirs.
The titles and honours Andrew will no longer use include his wedding day titles – Duke of York, the Earl of Inverness and Baron Killyleagh, 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.
However, formally stripping him of the title would require an Act of Parliament.
Legislation has been used before to strip titles, notably descendants of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert who were on the German side in the First World War.
The Titles Deprivation Act 1917 was used two years later to strip the titles from Leopold Charles, Duke of Albany, Earl of Clarence and Baron Arklow; Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale, Earl of Armagh; Ernest Augustus, Duke of Brunswick, Prince of Great Britain and Ireland; and Henry, Viscount Taaffe of Corren and Baron of Ballymote.
The law remains in force but as it refers specifically to the First World War, its provisions are unlikely to be relevant today.
Comment: The questions MPs should ask about Prince Andrew and the rest of the royals
Monday 20 October 2025 17:40
,
Athena Stavrou
MPs call for law to strip Prince Andrew of his dukedom
Monday 20 October 2025 17:18
,
Athena Stavrou
The King and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer are facing calls to introduce a law to strip Prince Andrew of his dukedom.
Formally stripping him of the title would require an Act of Parliament but Charles is believed to view the largely symbolic move as a waste of parliamentary time and the Government has said it will be guided by the royal family’s views.
But the Westminster leaders of the Scottish National Party and Plaid Cymru are among MPs calling for legislation.
The SNP’s Stephen Flynn said he would “not sit silent” while the family of Virginia Giuffre, and the British public, are “angry and aghast”.
Plaid Cymru’s Liz Saville-Roberts said: “Public funds, police protection and royal privilege have long buffered Prince Andrew from the consequences of his actions. And we’ve paid for all this.
“I will support any efforts to hold royals to the same standards and laws as everyone else – Parliament must have the power to remove privileges from abusers of position.”
Virginia Giuffre wanted to use ‘Crown’s money’ to do good after Andrew payout
Monday 20 October 2025 16:56
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Athena Stavrou
Prince Andrew’s accuser Virginia Giuffre described looking forward to using the “Crown’s money to do some good” after receiving millions from the late Queen’s son in a settlement.
In her book Nobody’s Girl, which is being published on Tuesday amid growing pressure for Andrew to be officially stripped of his titles, Ms Giuffre wrote that, after receiving the money from the prince, she began developing her Speak Out, Act, Reclaim (Soar) foundation to combat human trafficking.
“I look forward to disseminating some of the Crown’s money to do some good,” she said.
She added: “Now that my settlement from Prince Andrew has come through, I have begun the slow process of turning my fledgling foundation, Soar, into a professionally run organisation.
“My goal is for Soar to combat human trafficking by supporting organisations that focus on prosecution, protection, and prevention.”
Virginia Giuffre: Nobody's Girl Memoir excerpts and book cover
Monday 20 October 2025 16:33
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Athena Stavrou
Trump asked Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre to babysit in first encounter at Mar-a-Lago, memoir says
Monday 20 October 2025 16:03
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Athena Stavrou
Donald Trump asked Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre if she could babysit during their first encounter at his Mar-a-Lago club, according to her posthumous memoir.
In a copy obtained by The Independent, Giuffre wrote that she was introduced to Trump by her father after she was hired as a locker room attendant in the summer of 2000. She said that within days of starting, her father, then a maintenance man at Mar-a-Lago, introduced her to Trump in his office.
“Trump couldn’t have been friendlier, telling me it was fantastic that I was there,” she wrote. “‘Do you like kids?’ he asked. ‘Do you babysit at all?’”
Read the full story:
New allegations of 'grave concern', palace source says
Monday 20 October 2025 15:43
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Athena Stavrou
A palace source has said the new allegations against Prince Andrew are of a “grave concern” and that they "should be examined in the proper and fullest ways".
According to Sky News, a source at Buckingham Palace said the royal family felt action needed to be taken because of "what lies at the heart of this, the broader allegations and the issues highlighted".
They added that the "new allegations that have been brought up" are of "very serious and grave concern" and "should be examined in the proper and fullest ways".
Downing Street: Prince Andrew title decision 'matter for the Palace'
Monday 20 October 2025 15:33
,
Athena Stavrou
Downing Street would not be drawn on whether Parliament should pass legislation to strip Prince Andrew of his titles.
The prime minister’s official spokesman said the question of legislation was “a matter for the Palace in the first instance” and the ministers “support the judgment of the King” regarding Andrew’s titles.
He added: “The prime minister’s thoughts are very much with the victims and survivors of Jeffrey Epstein who suffered and continue to suffer.”
Opinion: Eugenie and Beatrice should cut Andrew out of their lives
Monday 20 October 2025 14:59
,
Jane Dalton
Andrew’s team tried to hire internet trolls to hassle me, Guiffre claims - full report
Monday 20 October 2025 14:53
,
Jane Dalton
Royal website changed to remove Duke of York references
Monday 20 October 2025 14:44
,
Jane Dalton
Three references to the Duke of York on the royal family’s website have been changed to read Prince Andrew instead.
A page about Andrew is no longer headed Duke of York, and the words “On 13 January 2022, Buckingham Palace announced that, with Queen Elizabeth II's approval and agreement, the Duke of York’s military affiliations and Royal patronages would be returned” has been altered to say Prince Andrew, not Duke of York.
Beatrice and Eugenie skip glittering weekend ball
Monday 20 October 2025 14:21
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Jane Dalton
Prince Andrew’s daughters are reported to have pulled out of a weekend event at the British Museum attended by celebrities and members of the aristocracy, amid the furore.
Princess Beatrice, 37, and Eugenie, 35, reportedly had been scheduled to attend the Pink Ball, similar to the famous Met Gala event in New York every May.
Naomi Campbell, Janet Jackson and Diana, Princess of Wales' niece, Lady Kitty Spencer were all said to have been on the guest list, alongside the two Princesses.
There has been no official confirmation they had been due there.
Recap: Calls for King and Starmer to strip Andrew of dukedom
Monday 20 October 2025 13:53
,
Jane Dalton
The King and prime minister Sir Keir Starmer are facing calls to introduce a law to strip Prince Andrew of his dukedom.
Andrew relinquished his use of the Duke of York title amid the long-running fallout of the Jeffrey Epstein scandal and the publication of Virginia Giuffre's posthumous memoirs.
Formally stripping him of the title would require an Act of Parliament but Charles is believed to view the largely symbolic move as a waste of parliamentary time and the Government has said it will be guided by the royal family's views.
In pictures: King visits Manchester synagogue
Monday 20 October 2025 13:50
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Jane Dalton