Royal family site quietly erases “Duke of York” in latest setback for the disgraced royal
Buckingham Palace has updated the royal family’s official website to reflect Prince Andrew’s recent decision to stop using his Duke of York title. The move marks another symbolic blow to the King’s brother, whose royal status has steadily diminished over recent years.
Following Andrew’s public announcement, the palace removed most mentions of “Duke of York” from his profile page. The site still hosts his biography and Navy service details, though a few lingering references remain, including a line noting that “The Duke of York’s active service with the Royal Navy spanned 22 years until July 2001.”
His page also includes the 2022 palace statement confirming that Andrew had stepped back from public duties and lost his military titles and patronages. However, the latest statement—issued on October 17—has not yet been added. In it, Andrew said he would no longer use his title, believing it detracted from the work of King Charles and the wider royal family.
Andrew, 65, has held the Duke of York title since his 1986 marriage to Sarah Ferguson, a title traditionally granted to the monarch’s second son. Once seen as one of the Queen’s most dependable children, his reputation collapsed after his association with Jeffrey Epstein came to light.
He resigned from public life in 2019 after a disastrous BBC interview about his friendship with the convicted sex offender. In 2022, the late Queen stripped him of his remaining royal roles after a U.S. judge allowed Virginia Giuffre’s sexual assault lawsuit to proceed. Andrew later reached an out-of-court settlement with Giuffre, who has since died by suicide.
The palace’s quiet website revision signals the royal family’s continued effort to distance itself from Andrew’s troubled legacy while keeping his presence, at least for now, on the official record.
