Prince Andrew said Friday that he is giving up his royal title of the Duke of York after his friendship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein returned to the headlines.

In a statement released by Buckingham Palace, Andrew said “the continued accusations about me” distracted from the work of his elder brother King Charles and the wider work of the British royal family.

“I will therefore no longer use the title or the honours which have been conferred upon me. As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me,” Andrew said.

It comes as excerpts have been published of an upcoming posthumous memoir from Virginia Giuffre, who has alleged she was trafficked by Epstein and had sex with Andrew when she was 17.