It was one scandal too many.

After emails emerged this week showing 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 Prince Andrew saying 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 demonstrate Prince 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

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