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He is relinquishing his designations, such as the York's Duke, he has announced in a individual message.

He has been under mounting attention over his links with sex offender the financier, with requests for the Palace to take action against him.

That now looks to have resulted in the prince deciding to of his own accord hand back his titles and to relinquish membership of the Garter Order.

In his message he said he continued to "vigorously refute the claims against me".

"In discussion with the sovereign, and my immediate and broader family, we have concluded the ongoing claims about me take away from the responsibilities of His Majesty and the royal household," said a statement from Prince Andrew.

"I have opted, as I always have, to put my responsibility to my relatives and land first.

"I support my decision five years ago to withdraw from official duties.

"With the King's agreement, we believe I must now go a additional measure. I will therefore no longer use my honor or the awards which have been bestowed on me. As I have said earlier, I strongly refute the allegations against me."

Prince Andrew has faced a number of scandals, including a legal case he ended with an accuser, doubts about his economic affairs and his involvement with an alleged foreign agent.

He will remain a prince - but will stop to be the Duke of York, a honor granted from his the late Queen, the late Queen Elizabeth.

Andrew had already ended to be a "working royal" and had forfeited the use of his HRH title and no longer participated at state occasions. His status now will be even more reduced.

His previous partner will be known as Ferguson and no longer York's Duchess, but their daughters will continue to have the honor of royal princess.

Prince Andrew has been under intense scrutiny over his associations with convicted sex offender the financier, more in recent times involving inquiries about when he had actually severed contact.

In his television appearance, Prince Andrew had said that he had ended all connections with Jeffrey Epstein after they had been photographed together in New York in the end of 2010.

But correspondence sent in February 2011 later emerged suggesting that he had privately remained in contact with the financier, including swapping a message: "Stay in contact and we'll have further interactions soon!"

There had been mounting frustration in the monarchy at the issues that continued to envelop the royal.

In the coming days a posthumous memoir by Virginia Giuffre will be published which is expected to bring additional focus on his connection with the plaintiff and Jeffrey Epstein.