Buckingham Palace Engulfed in Moral Corruption and Espionage

TEHRAN (Defapress) - In a statement released by Buckingham Palace, Prince Andrew, the brother of King Charles III of England, announced he is relinquishing all his royal titles, including the 'Duke of York'. Consequently, the only title remaining for him is 'Prince', which cannot be removed due to his birth from the Queen.

The allegations against Andrew are related to his association with Jeffrey Epstein, a sex offender and child trafficker, and the case of espionage for China.

In this statement, Andrew said: "In conversations with the King and the family, we concluded that the continued allegations against me divert focus from the duties of His Majesty and the royal family. I decided, as I have always done, to prioritize my duty to my family and country and to stand by my decision five years ago to step back from life in the royal family."

He added: "With His Majesty's approval, we feel I must take a step further; therefore, I will no longer use the titles and honors bestowed upon me. As I have said before, I categorically deny the allegations."

It is said this decision was made in close consultation with the King of England and aimed at reducing pressure on the royal family. Prince William and other family members were also involved in this decision.

Andrew's ex-wife will also no longer use the title 'Duchess of York' and will be known as 'Sarah Ferguson'. However, the titles of their two daughters, 'Princess Beatrice' and 'Princess Eugenie', will remain unchanged.

This agreement was reached after high-level meetings at Buckingham Palace, where royal advisors had reached a critical point. Concerns about reputational damage caused by media headlines had increased within the court.

This week, The Guardian published parts of the posthumous memoirs of Virginia Giuffre (the plaintiff against Andrew). Giuffre committed suicide last April at the age of 41. In her book, she wrote: "Andrew saw having sex with me as his natural right." Andrew has always denied claims of having sex with Giuffre when she was 17 and settled the civil case by paying approximately £12 million without admitting liability.

In a book set to be published on Tuesday, Giuffre describes her meetings with Andrew. A part reads: "In the house, [Ghislaine] Maxwell and Epstein said goodnight and went upstairs, indicating it was time for me to attend to the Prince. Over the years, I've thought a lot about his behavior. He was friendly, but still arrogant, as if giving pleasure to him was his natural right. He was in a hurry. Afterward, in his clipped English accent, he said: Thank you. In my memory, the whole affair took less than half an hour. The next morning, Maxwell told me: You were good. The Prince had a good time. Epstein paid me $15,000 for servicing a man the media called 'Randy Andy'."

On Friday night, Giuffre's family announced that Andrew's decision to relinquish his royal titles confirms Virginia's truthfulness. Their statement said: "We, the family of Virginia Roberts Giuffre, believe that Prince Andrew's decision to set aside his titles is a confirmation of our sister's and all victims' truthfulness. We also believe that King Charles should strip him of the title of Prince."

Meanwhile, reports have also been published indicating that Andrew met with 'Cai Qi', a member of China's ruling party, in 2018 and 2019. Cai is suspected of receiving confidential information from 2 UK citizens accused of spying for Beijing. The case against these two individuals was recently closed by the English prosecution service, and both have denied the charges.

Andrew had previously been stripped of his military titles and charitable affiliations, and the use of the style 'His Royal Highness' was prohibited for him.

Emails recently published by the UK press show that Andrew remained in contact with Epstein long after claiming to have severed ties. In 2019, Andrew told the BBC in an interview that he cut off contact in December 2010 after a photo of him walking with Epstein in New York was published. However, in an email sent to Epstein after the photo's release, he wrote: "I am worried about you too! Don't worry about me! It seems we are in this together, and we must get through it. We are in touch and will play again soon!" He ended the email signed 'His Royal Highness - The Duke of York'.

Epstein was announced to have committed suicide in August 2019 in a federal prison in Manhattan while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Recently, new documents released in the US show that Prince Andrew traveled 4 times on Epstein's private jet. Flight logs record Andrew's name on a trip from 'Luton' to 'Edinburgh' on September 1, 2006, alongside Maxwell, a convicted sex offender. Also, on a flight on May 12, 2000, he was present with Epstein, Maxwell, the famous chef 'Adam Perry Lang', a bodyguard, and 3 others. 2 other flights in 1999 also show the name 'Prince Andrew' alongside royal protection officer 'Steve Borges'. The wife of former New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez, 'Gwendolyn Beck', and a woman named 'Clare Hazel' were also recorded on one of the 1999 flights, a flight on which Epstein and Maxwell were also present.

These flight reports were released after the US House Oversight Committee published hundreds of other documents from Epstein's estate on Friday.