Prince Andrew's six-year downfall over Jeffrey Epstein ties comes to a dramatic conclusion

The family of one of the most prominent survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual abuse has welcomed Prince Andrew’s announcement that he will stop using his royal titles, including the Duke of York.“Prince Andrew’s decision to give up his titles is vindication for our sister and survivors everywhere,” the family of Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who died by suicide in April at the age of 41, said in a statement

The family of one of the most prominent survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual abuse has welcomed Prince Andrew’s announcement that he will stop using his royal titles, including the Duke of York.

“Prince Andrew’s decision to give up his titles is vindication for our sister and survivors everywhere,” the family of Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who died by suicide in April at the age of 41, said in a statement.

A flow of stories about Prince Andrew’s association with Epstein has dogged King Charles III’s younger brother for six years, with the scandal becoming one of the most damaging in recent British royal history.

Giuffre had alleged that Epstein trafficked her to his powerful friends, including Andrew, against whom she filed a lawsuit in 2021 alleging that Andrew sexually abused her when she was 17.

Andrew, who denies having had sex with Giuffre and any wrongdoing connected to Epstein, stepped back from active royal duties in 2019 as controversy around his association with Epstein swirled. He agreed to settle the suit with Giuffre for an undisclosed amount in 2022 with no admission of wrongdoing.