ReutersThe brother of Virginia Giuffre has called on King Charles to strip Prince Andrew of the title “prince” after he announced he is giving up his other titles, including the Duke of York.
Ms Giuffre alleged she was forced to have sex with the prince on three occasions, including when she was aged 17 at the home of his friend Ghislaine Maxwell in London in 2001.
The prince made a financial payment to Ms Giuffre in an out-of-court settlement in 2022, after she had brought a civil case against him. He denies all the accusations against him.
Sky Roberts told BBC Newsnight his sister, who took her own life earlier this year, would be “very proud” of the latest development regarding Prince Andrew.
The prince has been under increasing pressure over his links with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, with calls for Buckingham Palace to take action against him.
On Friday, the prince announced that he was deciding to voluntarily hand back his titles and to give up membership of the Order of the Garter, the oldest and most senior order of chivalry in Britain.
He will also cease be the Duke of York, a title received from his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II.
But Mr Roberts said he would like to see the King go a step further, saying: “We would call on the King to potentially go ahead and take out the prince in the Andrew.”
“I think anybody that was implicated in this should have some sort of resolve. They should have some sort of responsibility and accountability for these survivors,” he said, adding that he would “welcome any contact from the King, from members of parliament”.
When Prince Andrew was born in 1960, he was automatically a prince as the son of a monarch. This could only be changed if a Letters Patent was issued by the King.
Virginia RobertsIn his statement on Friday, Prince Andrew said: “In discussion with the King, and my immediate and wider family, we have concluded the continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family.
“I have decided, as I always have, to put my duty to my family and country first.
“I stand by my decision five years ago to stand back from public life.
“With His Majesty’s agreement, we feel I must now go a step further. I will therefore no longer use my title or the honours which have been conferred upon me. As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me.”
He said he continued to “vigorously deny the accusations against me”.
The prince had already ceased to be a “working royal” and had lost the use of his HRH title and no longer appeared at official royal events. His role now will be even more diminished.
Getty ImagesThe prince has faced a series of scandals over recent years, including a court case he settled with Ms Giuffre.
Next week a posthumous memoir by Ms Giuffre will be published. It is likely to cast further attention on Prince Andrew’s involvement with her and Epstein.
Ms Giuffre claimed that she was one of many vulnerable girls and young women who had been sexually exploited by Epstein and his circle of wealthy connections.
She alleged that she was forced to have sex with the prince at the house of his friend Ghislaine Maxwell in London in 2001, when Ms Giuffre was 17 years old.
Her memoir describes two other occasions on which she alleges she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew – in Epstein’s townhouse in New York and on Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands.
Ms Giuffre’s brother, Mr Roberts, told BBC Newsnight: “We have shed a lot of happy and sad tears today. I think happy because in a lot of ways this vindicates Virginia.”
“All the years of work that she put in is now coming to some sort of justice, and these monsters can’t escape from it – the truth will find its way out.”
He said this was “a moment where survivors are not staying quiet any more”.
“It’s just a joyous moment for them because we’re finally getting some sense of acknowledgement, like ‘this actually happened, what we’re saying is the truth’,” Mr Roberts added.
He said there was “so much more to be accomplished, especially here in the United States”.
Prince Andrew has faced intense scrutiny over his links with disgraced financier Epstein, more recently including questions about when he had really cut off contact.
In a now-infamous BBC Newsnight interview in 2019, Prince Andrew said that he had severed all links with Epstein after they had been photographed together in New York in December 2010.
But emails sent in February 2011 later emerged suggesting that he had privately stayed in touch with Epstein, including sending a message that read: “Keep in close touch and we’ll play some more soon!”
Prince Andrew is expected to stay in his Windsor home, Royal Lodge, on which he has his own private lease which runs until 2078.
His ex-wife will be known as Sarah Ferguson and no longer Duchess of York, but their daughters will continue to have the title of princess.
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