As Royal Watchers Call for Prince Andrew to Lose His Title, the Duke of York Is Dragged Into Another Jeffrey Epstein Scandal
Prince Andrew’s involvement in the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking scandal continues to damage his royal reputation. After settling the civil case brought against him by Virginia Guiffre — who alleged the Duke of York sexually assaulted her when she was 17 — Andrew is now facing calls to lose his titles. And, he’s just been dragged into another Epstein-related case.
A UK politician believes Prince Andrew should lose his title as Duke of York
Andrew’s out-of-court settlement with Guiffre was not an admission of guilt, as he has repeatedly denied her claims. But it wasn’t a good look for the prince, and his involvement in the Epstein scandal has destroyed his career as a senior working royal.
He has been removed from his royal duties and essentially taken out of the public eye. But now, York Central Labour MP Rachael Maskell wants Queen Elizabeth to remove Andrew’s Duke of York title.
Maskell recently presented a “Removal of Titles” bill that would give Her Majesty new title removing powers. It would also allow for a committee of Parliament to determine if someone can be stripped of their title. Currently, the queen is not allowed to remove Andrew’s Dukedom, which she gave him as a gift for his 1987 wedding to Sarah Ferguson.
When presenting the bill, Maskell cited a local newspaper survey from earlier this year that showed 80 percent of York residents wanted the Duke of York to no longer be associated with the city.
The city of York wants no connection to the disgraced prince
“Despite much public outcry, Prince Andrew has continued to carry his Duke of York title, even after many of his other titles have been removed by the Queen,” Maskell told Express. “The Bill will address a deficiency in the law and enable this title to be removed.”
This bill is just the latest move by local politicians to disconnect themselves from Prince Andrew. In April, the City of York Council voted unanimously to remove his status as Freeman of the City, which they gave him as a wedding gift 35 years ago.
“York is a Human Rights city and residents made it clear to me in February that they wanted the Duke of York title to be removed from Andrew, the Queen’s second son, in the aftermath of revelations about his personal affairs,” Maskell said.
She noted that the city has “sought to explore ways” for Andrew’s Dukedom to be removed, but it’s simply not possible without new legislation.
“For months now, York as a city has called for its association with Prince Andrew to end. After exploring all other avenues, it is clear that an Act of Parliament is the only way we can achieve this,” Maskell said.
Prince Andrew is being dragged into another Jeffrey Epstein scandal
As Andrew faces complete title removal, he’s being dragged into another case in connection to the Epstein scandal. A 28-year-old woman named Caroline Kaufman has come forward claiming that Epstein raped her in December 2010 when she was 17 years old. And, she says that Prince Andrew was there on that same night.
Kaufman’s legal team says that Andrew was visiting Epstein at his Upper East Side New York home on the same night she was assaulted. They are seeking a statement from the Duke for the case because he is a potential witness. However, Andrew is not facing any new allegations of wrongdoing.
