Prince Andrew is stepping back from royal duties for the "foreseeable future".
Prince Andrew
The Duke of York has confirmed he will stop his royal duties because of the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, as he feels it has caused "major disruption to his family's work" as well as "the valuable work going on in the many organisations and charities that he is proud to support".
In a statement, he said: "It has become clear to me over the last few days that the circumstances relating to my former association with Jeffrey Epstein has become a major disruption to my family's work and the valuable work going on in the many organisations and charities that I am proud to support. Therefore, I have asked Her Majesty if I may step back from public duties for the foreseeable future, and she has given her permission. I continue to unequivocally regret my ill-judged association with Jeffrey Epstein. His suicide has left many unanswered questions, particularly for his victims, and I deeply sympathise with everyone who has been affected and wants some form of closure. I can only hope that, in time, they will be able to rebuild their lives. Of course, I am willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency."
The Duke of York's decision comes following a high-profile interview with BBC Newsnight, which was broadcast over the weekend, where he discussed his friendship with Epstein.
BT is the latest company to cut ties with Prince Andrew, following in the footsteps of Standard Chartered Bank and KPMG, who said they were withdrawing support for Andrew's Pitch@Palace initiative, which encourages business mentoring.
In a statement about working with iDEA, they shared: "In light of recent developments we are reviewing our relationship with the organisation and hope that we might be able to work further with them, in the event of a change in their patronage."
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