'Prince William helped finally push Andrew out after huge Epstein lie exposed'

Royal Editor Russell Myers writes that several high-profile meetings between the King, Prince William and their most senior officials took place to finally force Andrew out

The King and Prince William have finally brought the curtain down on disgraced Prince Andrew over his tawdry relationship with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

After years of scandal that has slowly eaten away at the heart of the monarchy, the man once known as the late Queen’s “favourite son” has at last found nowhere to turn. Following tense discussions with the monarch and the future king, Andrew had no choice but to relinquish the titles that still provided a veil of respectability by clinging on to his association with the royal family.

Having recently been exposed for lying over claims he made in his disastrous BBC Newsnight interview, that he cut off all contact with paedophile Epstein after flying to New York to see him in December 2010, Andrew’s spectacular fall from grace is now complete. Further allegations over his relationship with Chinese spies also sent shockwaves through the establishment.

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The final straw came in recent weeks, after Andrew was exposed in a cache of emails being examined by prosecutors in the United States and further claims reportedly set to be made in his sex abuse accuser’s memoir, that he chillingly described allegedly abusing her as his “birthright”. Andrew has always denied the allegations made by Virginia Giuffre, but her suicide in April this year left an even greater and disturbing cloud over this most devastating of scandals.

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The King and Prince William effectively wielded the axe on him being able to use his Duke of York title and the prestigious Knight of the Garter honour, that he even used to sign off in emails to Epstein. For her part in this most unedifying episode, Andrew’s ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, who took thousands of pounds from Epstein as she struggled with mounting debts and was revealed to have praised him as a “steadfast, generous and supreme friend” even after his conviction for sex offenses, will also never again use her Duchess of York title.

She was last month dumped by a raft of charities as their patron and ambassador, including the Teenage Cancer Trust who she represented for more than 30 years, after her closeness with Epstein was exposed. Fergie has for years traded on her royal connection to earn fortunes from book deals and contracts with companies such as Weight Watchers, but will now simply be known by her name.

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Despite having no discernable income, the two will remain living at Andrew's crumbling Royal Lodge mansion, much to the King's frustration following attempts to force him to give up his lease on the property in the shadow of Windsor Castle. The pair may mull over their respective catastrophic decisions when they spend Christmas together having been told they are not welcome to spend the festive period with the King and his family.

Reports this week that Andrew held meetings on at least three occasions with a top Chinese official at the centre of a Beijing spy case that was stopped in the courts at the eleventh hour, while also inviting him to Buckingham Palace for lunch, caused further alarm at the palace. Royal sources disclosed that several high profile meetings between the King, Prince William and their most senior officials, took place to finally force Andrew into action.

For years Andrew, who at 65 years old is far off what is normally considered time to retire from royal life, had held on to the belief that he would find a way back to public life. This latest development brings to a close any such hope, as he is finally exiled in disgrace.