By Molly Claire Goddard
1:55pm PDT, Oct 20, 2025
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According to expert
Richard Fitzwilliams, the royal family will get rid of the "York" name due to Prince Andrew's public scandals. "Now the title is in abeyance and it is highly unlikely there will be a future Duke of York just as the title Duke of Clarence is likely to be avoided because of the notorious rumors that were associated with its last holder in the 19th Century," he
said. It was previously thought that
Prince Louis could one day assume the title.
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Richard Fitzwilliams feels Queen Elizabeth II would be distraught over Prince Andrew's public demise and banishment from The Firm. "She would indeed have been deeply saddened by his disgrace. She devoted her whole life to service, as she promised to do in her famous speech from Cape Town when she was 21," he explained.
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In a statement, Prince Andrew announced he would be stepping back from royal life due to his connection to Jeffrey Epstein and Virginia Giuffre's assault allegations. "In discussion with King Charles III and my immediate and wider family, we have concluded that 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," he said. "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 honors which have been conferred upon me. As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me."
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With more allegations about Prince Andrew stemming from Virginia Giuffre's book, a
source close to Buckingham Palace thinks the claims should be "examined in an appropriate way."
