Virginia Giuffre’s family say the news that Prince Andrew will give up his remaining titles vindicates their sister. The announcement on Friday that he would relinquish his remaining titles and honours and would no longer be known as the Duke of York came amid controversy over his links to the Epstein case and fresh scrutiny of alleged contact with a suspected Chinese spy.

The move came four days before Ms Giuffre’s memoir was published. The former duke reportedly paid millions to settle a civil sexual assault case in 2022, despite his denial of ever meeting her. Her brother Sky Roberts, who said she died in April, described her as a truth teller from the beginning.

Giuffre has alleged she was forced to have sex with Andrew on three occasions, including when she was 17, after being trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein. In her memoir she described Andrew as treating the relationship as if sex with her was his birthright. Roberts said he would welcome contact with Parliament or the King and offered to present what he believes is evidence to support her case. The disclosures included flight logs listing ‘Prince Andrew’ as a passenger on Epstein’s private jet in 2000 and 2006, and an email from 2011 in which he wrote to Epstein, ‘we are in this together’, months after he said he had cut ties. Even after giving up the dukedom, he technically keeps it and it would require an Act of Parliament to remove the title. The titles he will no longer use include The Duke of York, the Earl of Inverness and Baron Killyleagh, the GCVO knighthood and his role as a Royal Knight Companion of the Order of the Garter. He stepped back from public life in 2019 after a Newsnight interview in which he said he did not regret his friendship with Epstein. The late Queen later removed his military patronages and he stopped using the HRH title.