Britain's Prince Andrew gives up title of Duke of York

LONDON - Britain's Prince Andrew said on Friday he would give up using his title of Duke of York following years of criticism about his behavior and connections to the late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The reputation of Andrew, the younger brother of King Charles and second son of the late Queen Elizabeth, has taken a battering in recent years, most notably because of his links to Epstein.

But there have also been revelations that one of his close business associates was thought by the government to be a Chinese spy.

In a statement, Andrew said "the continued accusations about me" distracted from the work of his elder brother King Charles and the wider work of the British royal family.

"I will therefore no longer use the title or the honours which have been conferred upon me. As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me," Andrew said in a statement.

Andrew, 65, the eighth-in-line to the throne, was once regarded as a dashing naval officer and served in the military during the Falklands War with Argentina in the early 1980s.

But he gained a reputation as a playboy prince, and in 2022 was stripped of most of his titles and removed from royal duties due to his connections to Epstein.

That year, he settled a lawsuit brought by Virginia Giuffre, who died in April, which accused him of sexually abusing her when she was a teenager. Andrew has always denied her account, which has returned to prominence in the last week with the release of her memoir.