Prince William 'Forced' His Disgraced Uncle, Prince Andrew, To Relinquish Royal Titles, Experts Claims

The monarchy is being credited with making a strategic call after Prince Andrew surrendered his royal titles in the wake of him still making headlines over the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.

The disgraced prince made the announcement on Friday, saying he reached the decision after discussions with senior royals and his immediate family. However, despite the move, he still vigorously denied the accusations against him.

Experts now claim it was essential for the monarchy to have Prince Andrew step down, as it helps prevent the institution from being "overshadowed by sleaze."

Experts have weighed in on Prince Andrew's decision to relinquish his titles and honors, calling it "essential" and praising the monarchy for the part they played in making it happen.

The disgraced prince came under fire again following the emergence of a controversial email exchange between him and Jeffrey Epstein, sent three months after he claimed to have cut ties with the convicted sex offender.

"It would have soon got to the point where anything the monarchy did would have been overshadowed by sleaze," said royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams, per Fox News Digital.

"When the email, which proved he lied about the timeline of his links with Epstein, went public, this was inevitable in some form," he added.

Fitzwilliams also shared his relief that the parliament was not involved in the scandal, as it would only have worsened the situation.

"Thankfully, Parliament was not involved, but public disgust could have reached the level that it could have been," he said.

The experts also speculated on who among the monarchy truly pressured Prince Andrew to relinquish his titles.

"Prince William has been the force behind all of this, and he is right. Prince William is looking far more long-term at the viability, reputation, and indeed existence of the monarchy," Fordwich said.

Royal expert Amanda Matta also suggested that Andrew likely wasn't the one to propose the idea himself, as he has consistently denied the accusations made against him.

"I don't believe that relinquishing his conferred titles would have been Andrew's idea. Otherwise, why didn't we see this action five years ago?" she said. "His continued use of 'Prince' also suggests to me that he sees his birthright as more important than fully disassociating himself from the royal house."

In 2022, Prince Andrew withdrew from his royal duties and stopped using the title "His Royal Highness" following the scandal surrounding the civil lawsuit filed against him by Virginia Giuffre, one of Jeffrey Epstein's accusers.

Now, he will also forfeit the title of Duke of York, step down from the Order of the Garter, and relinquish his role as Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order.

The extent of the monarchy's involvement in Andrew's decision remains unclear, but he is being urged to accept his fall from grace with dignity.

"This should enable him to pick up the strands of his life as opposed to clutching on to honors he obviously did not deserve," Fitzwilliams said. "He may protest his innocence, but when polls show you have no popular support and your options have run out, you have no choice but to give up your title and the Order of the Garter."

Another expert suggested that Andrew's announcement to give up his royal titles shouldn't be viewed as an act of remorse.

Instead, they deemed the former duke's move as an attempt to preserve the "last bit of honor" he had left after being stripped of all his titles.

"One would like to think he is finally doing the decent thing, but with the avalanche of public outrage bowling towards him, this is really just trying to salvage the last bit of honor he possibly could," royal expert Hilary Fordwich said. "Better late than never, though!"

Andrew's continued insistence on his innocence was also criticized by Fordwich, who described his stance as "despicable."

"His not offering an apology is beyond despicable!" the royal expert stated.

"He should disappear completely now and never be heard of nor seen again," Fordwich added, referencing Andrew's "I vigorously deny the accusations against me" remark in his announcement.