Prince Andrew announced in a statement on Friday that he would relinquish his royal titles and honours along with his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson. Now, the former couple, who were once known as the Duke and Duchess of York, will now simply be referred to as Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson. The announcement came in the midst of both Andrew and Sarah’s emails to the late convicted paedophile, Jeffrey Epstein, being published. While the pair will no longer be referred to as the Duke and Duchess of York, they’ve also quietly lost two other lesser-known royal titles in the process.
On their wedding day in 1986, Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson were bestowed the dukedom of York – making them the Duke and Duchess of York respectively. The grant of a Dukedom is a long-standing tradition within the British royal family and is said to mark a prince’s transition into marriage, where he will be the head of his own family unit. It’s also a way of officially recognising his new status and role within the wider royal family.
As well as this, traditionally, British royals are given three titles on their wedding day, one from England, one from Scotland and one from Ireland. As well as being bestowed with the Duke of York title, Andrew was also made Earl of Inverness (Scotland) and Baron Killyleagh (Northern Ireland). Sarah, by extension, became the Countess of Inverness and Baroness Killyleagh.
Inverness, which is in the far north of Scotland, is just one hour away from the Prince’s school, Gordonstoun, which was also attended by King Charles and Prince Philip. Meanwhile, as the Baron of Killyleagh in the north of Ireland, there are several dedications to the Prince including the eponymously titled: ‘Prince Andrew Way’ in Carrickfergus. When Andrew relinquished the use of his title ‘Duke of York’ on Friday, the decision included his subsidiary titles as well.
“Andrew was given the titles Earl of Inverness and Baron Killyleagh by his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in 1986, when he married Sarah Ferguson. Working members of the royal family typically use their subsidiary titles when visiting respective countries,” HELLO!‘s Online Royal Reporter, Danielle Stacey explains.
© Getty“For example, the Prince of Wales is known as the Duke of Rothesay in Scotland and Baron Carrickfergus in Northern Ireland. However, Andrew stepped back from public life in 2019, and his decision to relinquish his remaining titles and honours has been the latest stage of an ongoing saga surrounding the Prince.”
© Getty ImagesAs well as his peerage, Andrew also gave up his membership of the prestigious Order of the Garter. In 2006, the Prince was appointed a Royal Knight Companion in the Order of the Garter by his mother, Queen Elizabeth. Despite being stripped of his military titles and patronages in 2022 following backlash over his association with Jeffrey Epstein and accusations from Virginia Giuffre, Andrew did not initially lose the prestigious title of Royal Knight Companion. He was also still entitled to attend private events including lunches and investiture ceremonies.
Prince Andrew’s continued controversies
In 2019, the Prince appeared on BBC’s Newsnight, where he was interviewed by Emily Maitlis over his long-standing connection to convicted paedophile, Jeffrey Epstein. He was also questioned over accusations from the late Virginia Giuffre, who accused the royal of engaging in sexual acts with her while under the age of 18.
© Getty ImagesAt the time, Andrew told Emily Maitlis: “I can absolutely categorically tell you it never happened. I have no recollection of ever meeting this lady, none whatsoever.” He also claimed to have no memory of the photograph with Ms Giuffre being taken and has questioned whether it was his own hand in the image.
Despite his claims on Newsnight, in 2025, The Sun and the Mail on Sunday reported emails allegedly sent from the Prince to the convicted paedophile. “I’m just as concerned for you! Don’t worry about me! It would seem we are in this together and will have to rise above it. Otherwise, keep in close touch and we’ll play some more soon!!!!”
© Getty ImagesReports of the Prince’s correspondence, which were dated February 28 2011, appear to contradict claims in his Newsnight appearance where he maintained that he had ceased contact with the disgraced financier three months earlier, in December 2010. According to The Sun, the email was sent from Andrew’s official email address, which had the automated signature “HRH The Duke of York KG”. Andrew was no longer permitted to use the style HRH after January 2022, when he was stripped of his military titles and royal patronages. As of Friday, he will no longer use the ‘Duke of York’ title nor ‘KG’, which stands for Knight of the Garter.
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