One scandal too many forces UK monarchy to sideline Prince Andrew after years of tabloid fodder

It was one scandal too many.

After emails emerged this week showing that Prince Andrew remained in contact with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein longer than he previously admitted, the House of Windsor finally moved to insulate the monarchy from years of tawdry headlines about Andrew›s dodgy friends and suspicious business deals.

Buckingham Palace on Friday released a statement from Andrew saying that he had agreed to give up use of his last remaining royal titles so that continued allegations about him “don’t distract from the work of His Majesty.”

This week’s revelations demonstrated that Andrew had committed the unforgivable sin of misleading the British public, said Craig Prescott, an expert on the monarchy and constitutional law at Royal Holloway University of London.

“To say something which is proven not to be true, I think, is the straw that broke the camel’s back,’’ he said.

The move comes as Charles works to ensure the long-term stability of the monarchy under his son and heir Prince William.