Palace insiders have revealed the tense discussions and mounting pressure behind Prince Andrew’s decision to finally relinquish his remaining royal titles.
According to reports, Buckingham Palace was pushed to act after fresh revelations linked Andrew to new controversies, including his alleged ties to a Chinese official and resurfaced emails showing continued contact with Jeffrey Epstein in 2011, despite claiming he had cut ties a year earlier.
Senior aides reportedly saw the latest wave of headlines as “one scandal too many,” with both King Charles and Prince William said to have urged the Duke to “do the right thing” before more damage was done.
A palace insider told The Times: “The King and Prince of Wales made it clear that the situation had become untenable. This was not up for negotiation.”
Andrew’s statement, which emphasized “we have concluded,” was described as carefully worded to reflect the firm but diplomatic intervention of his family.
While insiders say the royal household can now “breathe a sigh of relief,” Andrew is said to be “devastated” by the humiliation of losing the Duke of York and Order of the Garter titles.
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