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The royal is giving up his designations, among them the the Duke, he has announced in a personal statement.

He has been under growing attention over his associations with convicted criminal the financier, with requests for the monarchy to take action against him.

That now looks to have caused the figure deciding to voluntarily hand back his designations and to give up involvement of the prestigious order.

In his announcement he said he continued to "strongly refute the allegations against me".

"In consultation with the sovereign, and my direct and wider family, we have decided the continued claims about me divert from the duties of His Majesty and the Royal Family," said a message from the royal.

"I have decided, as I always have, to put my obligation to my kin and nation first.

"I support my decision five years ago to withdraw from public life.

"With the King's approval, we think I must now go a further step. I will therefore no longer use my honor or the awards which have been granted to me. As I have said earlier, I strongly deny the accusations against me."

Prince Andrew has faced a range of issues, such as a lawsuit he ended with an accuser, doubts about his money matters and his connection with an suspected foreign agent.

He will continue to be a royal - but will stop to be the the Duke, a honor granted from his parent, the former monarch.

Andrew had already stopped to be a "participating figure" and had given up the use of his royal style and no longer was seen at public engagements. His status now will be even more diminished.

His previous partner will be known as Sarah Ferguson and no longer the Duchess, but their offspring will carry on to have the honor of princess.

He has encountered strong attention over his connections with disgraced financier the financier, more lately involving questions about when he had really severed contact.

In his media discussion, he had said that he had cut off all connections with the financier after they had been photographed together in New York in the end of 2010.

But correspondence sent in February 2011 later surfaced implying that Andrew had in private remained in communication with Epstein, including sending a message: "Remain connected and we'll meet again soon!"

There had been mounting displeasure in the royal household at the scandals that persisted to envelop the figure.

In the coming days a posthumous memoir by the accuser will be issued which is anticipated to draw additional scrutiny on the royal's association with Virginia Giuffre and Jeffrey Epstein.