It was an event that Prince Andrew, his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, their friends, close family and even staff at their home, Royal Lodge, were looking forward to. Andrew had arranged a party for Fergie’s 66th birthday and her sister Jane Ferguson had flown over from Australia for the celebrations.
Then media stories broke that revealed Andrew had lied in a BBC interview about when he severed contact with his pal, sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Emails showed they had still been in contact months after Andrew said he’d broken off their friendship and that the prince had emailed the disgraced financier, saying, “We’re in this together.”
Scandal reignites with shocking new claims
The backlash was massive. It was further compounded when details from Virginia Giuffre’s about-to-be-released posthumous book, Nobody’s Girl, appeared in a newspaper. It quoted the late mum of three, who said she was trafficked by Epstein to Andrew when she was underage. She said “entitled” Andrew saw sex with her as his “birthright.”
Hours before the festivities were due to get underway, Andrew pulled the plug on the party. And it wasn’t long before he was taking a life-changing phone call from his brother, the King. Then came the bombshell: Andrew announced that he was giving up his Duke of York title and other prestigious honours. As one palace insider put it, “The party really is over for Andrew.”
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Titles stripped and futures uncertain
It’s not just Andrew, 65, who has been demoted – his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson also lost her Duchess of York title. Andrew can continue to use his prince title as he was the son of the monarch. The couple’s daughters will still be known as Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.
Losing his mother’s gift
But for the late Queen’s second son, having to drop the Duke of York title is a huge blow. It was bestowed on him by his mother. Critics had been calling for him to be stripped of his title since he was forced to step back as a working royal in 2019. He had been clinging on to it.
The King’s final warning
However, the latest developments were the final straw for the King. According to UK media, he told his brother he would take his titles away unless he “saw sense” and gave them up himself. The scandal has pushed His Majesty to his limits. The constant revelations about the extent of Andrew’s relationship with Epstein have kept bringing shame on the royal family and with Andrew unable to assure the King, 76, that there would be no more damaging details released, the situation was “intolerable” for Charles, who was also bracing for the publication of Virginia’s tell-all book.
A royal forced to bow out
Stripping Andrew of his titles would have to been done through an Act of Parliament, which would have been an “ugly process”, says the insider. Andrew was shocked that this was even being considered and convinced him to “jump before he was pushed”.
More than a title at stake
He also relinquished his honours, including his membership of the Order of the Garter and position as Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victoria Order. Making Andrew give up his title was not the only punishment palace courtiers considered. Ideas floated included removing him from the line of succession, paying him to move abroad, and banning him from all royal property.
They decided losing his title would be the most appropriate. It was down to the King to pressure his brother to “fall on his sword” and avoid an Act of Parliament, which he did in a brief but terse phone call.
Calls for exile grow louder
But there are now calls for Andrew’s punishment to be extended. One suggested option is kicking him out of his home, Royal Lodge.
“How can he possibly continue to live in a 30-room mansion on the Windsor Park estate?” says royal biographer Ingrid Seward.
“The time has come for the King to tell Andrew to pack up, take the money he’s put into Royal Lodge, and start a new life elsewhere. “His actions have played a large part in disgracing his family. Does he really want to be the man to play a part in bringing down the monarchy?”
More scandal on the horizon
Andrew Lownie, author of The Rise and Fall of the House of York, has warned that there is more scandal to come.
“This is just the tip of the iceberg.”
Snowballing scandals
Scandals continue despite losing titles
Even after losing their titles, the scandals have kept coming for Andrew and Fergie. It’s been revealed that after Virginia went public about him, Andrew instructed his personal police bodyguard to dig up dirt on her. He gave the royal protection officer Virginia’s date of birth and confidential social security number in 2011, saying she had a criminal record in the US (which her family says is not true).
He admitted he’d done this in an email to the Queen’s deputy press secretary Ed Perkins. The police are now looking into the matter. Meanwhile, other emails suggest that Fergie and her daughters visited Epstein at his New York apartment shortly after he was released from prison on charges of procuring a minor for sex. In an email, Epstein said she was the “first to celebrate his release”.
Fergie’s ties to Epstein revealed
Sources say Fergie, who ended up deep in debt after separating from Andrew, repeatedly asked Epstein for money and he helped her out for 15 years, longer than first realised.
In 2011, she admitted in an interview that she’d borrowed $32,000 from him and regretted it. But she later sent Epstein a grovelling message after that interview, apologising for being critical of him when she actually saw him as a “supreme friend”.
Debt, apologies and the ‘begging bowl’
Now emails sent by Epstein to pals show that he complained about the “desperate” former duchess continuing to ask him for money. The ongoing demand for cash led to him cutting contact with her and Andrew – not the other way around.
“It was Epstein who ended up dumping them,” says a source.
“He got sick and tired of Sarah constantly asking him for money. She borrowed far more money off him than has ever come out. She said one thing, but privately she was holding out the begging bowl.”
William backed his dad
William backed his dad Charles has had the wholehearted support of his son Prince William, who has long disapproved of his uncle. He was said to be “seething” at Andrew’s “buffoon-like” behaviour at the Duchess of Kent’s funeral in September, which he felt distracted from the solemnity of the occasion.
William, 43, was only too happy to see Andrew get his marching orders, says an insider, and he’d like to see him banned from all royal events.
“He considers his uncle’s presence in royal life a threat to the monarchy that could send the wrong message to abuse victims,” says a source, who adds that Fergie will also be excluded.
The quest for truth
1999
March Andrew claimed he first met Epstein this year, via his friend Ghislaine Maxwell. However, his private secretary has since said they actually met in the early 1990s.
2001
March Virginia Giuffre claimed Andrew had sex with her in London after she was trafficked to him by his friend Epstein. She was 17 at the time. Andrew has denied the allegation.
2008
July Epstein was jailed for 18 months for soliciting a minor for prostitution.
2010
December Andrew was photographed with Epstein in Central Park, New York. He claimed he was ending their friendship at the time.
2011
February In an interview, Virginia talked about being sex trafficked by Epstein. The article included a photo of her with Andrew. The prince sent an email to Epstein saying they were “in this together” and would “play again soon”.
2014
In December, a court filing in the US alleged Andrew was one of several prominent men who participated in sexual activities with Virginia. She was then a minor. She said she had sex with him three times in total.
2019
In August, a month after being arrested on charges of sex trafficking, Epstein was found dead. He was in a New York jail cell. His death was ruled a suicide. November Andrew’s interview with the BBC’s Emily Maitlis was declared “car crash TV”. In it, he said he did not regret his friendship with Epstein. Andrew stepped back as a working royal.
2022
January Andrew’s mother, Queen Elizabeth II, stripped him of his royal patronages and military associations. In February, Andrew settled a civil lawsuit filed by Virginia, alleging sexual assault. He insisted he was innocent, but gave her an undisclosed sum thought to be around $25 million.
2025
April Virginia took her life at her home in Australia. October Andrew relinquished his Duke of York title and other honours.
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