On Friday, October 17, Prince Andrew released a statement that he'd no longer be using his Duke of York title amid the ongoing scandals regarding himself, ex-wife Sarah Ferguson and late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Andrew has been facing public pressure to let go of his royal titles for some time, and while The King and Prince William are said to have been the driving forces behind the decision, one royal author said that Princess Anne has also "had enough" of her younger brother.
"Anne has long sided with The King," Brothers and Wives author Christopher Andersen told Us Weekly. "She is as fed up with Andrew as Charles and William are."
Another source told Radar Online that the 75-year-old Princess Royal, who is 10 years older than Andrew, is "modest, witty, and devoted to service." The palace insider added, "Those are qualities Andrew doesn't have, and he's painfully aware of it. It stings and is, quite frankly, driving him up the wall."
Princess Anne is said to be "fed up" with Prince Andrew.
A palace aide told the outlet, "Anne represents everything the monarchy is supposed to stand for—hard work and respect. For Andrew, who has lost all of that, it’s a bitter pill to swallow."
On October 17, Prince Andrew released a statement announcing that his friendship with Epstein and the "continued accusations" he's faced surrounding the late sex offender have overshadowed the Royal Family's work.
"I have decided, as I always have, to put my duty to my family and country first," his statement read. "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."
Prince Andrew is seen with King Charles and Prince William at the Duchess of Kent's funeral in September 2025.
Andersen added that because more details about Andrew's involvement with Epstein could come out in the near future, the choice for him to stop using his titles is "all about damage control."
"William has been urging his father The King to do something about Andrew for years," the royal author told Us Weekly. "The Epstein sex abuse scandal just won’t go away—the royals are holding their breath, anxiously waiting for the other shoe to drop once all the files are released."
Prince Andrew was viewed as Queen Elizabeth's favorite child, and as Andersen noted, "could get away with pretty much anything when she was alive." But with his brother in charge, that treatment changed.
"Andrew has a definite arrogant streak, so instinctively he puts up a fight whenever he’s called on the carpet by his big brother," Andersen said. "But as the scandals keep piling up, he is increasingly resigned to the fact that he has dug a hole for himself he can’t climb out of."
