Inside the King’s cold phone call that saw Prince Andrew lose his dukedom and have to cancel Sarah Ferguson’s 66th birthday party as Epstein scandal exploded

The King made a phone call to Prince Andrew to remove his royal titles as the Jeffrey Epstein scandal exploded, it has been revealed. 

Charles did not meet face-to-face with his brother before he took away his dukedom and other royal titles on Friday, the Sun on Sunday reports. 

The pair spoke by telephone on Friday afternoon despite the monarch returning to London from his Scottish residency at Balmoral for in-person duties this week. 

After Charles returned north from his week in the capital, he made the call to his sibling at his home at Royal Lodge in Windsor. 

The Prince of Wales was also called to consult on the decision in place of an in-person meeting. 

An insider said: ‘The King, like his mother, does not like confrontation.’ 

But when the late Queen took Andrew’s military titles away in February 2022, she did so face-to-face at Windsor Castle.  

The former Duke of York was also forced to cancel Sarah Ferguson’s 66th birthday party at the last minute as his disgrace threatened to grow. 

The former Duke of York was forced to cancel Sarah Ferguson’s (pictured at Wimbledon this summer) 66th birthday party at the last minute as his disgrace threatened to grow

His ex-wife, who is also now no longer a Duchess, had been due to celebrate the big day at Royal Lodge, the pair’s home in Windsor. 

Her sister Jane had even flown in from Australia to join the bash at the 31-room mansion with family, friends, neighbours and staff. 

But just hours before it was due to begin, Andrew put a stop to the festivities, as calls for him to give up his titles grew. 

A friend said all guests had been ‘very excited’ – but ‘in many ways, the party was over for Andrew – he knew it was crunch time’.  

It came just hours after damning new revelations in a new posthumous memoir from his sex abuse accuser Virginia Giuffre, who took her own life this year, aged 41. 

Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice is scheduled for release in October, with the manuscript finished before she died. 

The explosive book revolves around her years spent as a sex slave to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein and his British madam Ghislaine Maxwell. 

Extracts published by The Guardian show Ms Giuffre, who said she was trafficked by Epstein three times for sex with Andrew, calls the ex-Duke ‘entitled’ and viewing sex as his ‘birthright’. 

Within the 400-page autobiography, she also claims the ex-Duke said ‘thank you’ in a ‘clipped British accent’ after their alleged first encounter when she was 17.

She also recalls how Ghislaine Maxwell heaped praise on her after the encounter, saying, ‘You did well, the Prince had fun’.

Prince Andrew denied having sex with Ms Giuffre, but forked out millions in an out of court settlement in February 2022.

The Royal Family had been prepared for the further scandal the book would likely cause, knowing it was to be published this month. 

But a kind of tipping point came when scandalous emails from Andrew to Epstein were uncovered by the Mail on Sunday in a world exclusive last week – causing fears more are yet to emerge. 

In the astonishing message, the Prince told the paedophile ‘we are in this together’ a day after the MoS released the infamous picture of the Prince with his alleged then-teenage sex victim Ms Giuffre. 

He said he was ‘concerned’ about the impact this newspaper’s revelations would have on his friend but reassured the vile billionaire they would ‘rise above’ press scrutiny. 

It was sent to Epstein 12 weeks after Andrew had supposedly ceased all contact with the convicted sex offender.

It came after damning new revelations in a new posthumous memoir from his sex abuse accuser Virginia Giuffre (pictured as a teenager with Andrew and Ghislaine Maxwell), who took her own life this year, aged 41

The leaked email provides definitive proof the Prince lied in his car-crash interview with BBC’s Newsnight when he claimed he ‘never had any contact’ with Epstein after the pair were famously pictured walking together in New York’s Central Park in December 2010.

The revelation comes just weeks after the MoS exposed how the former Duchess of York wrote Epstein a gushing message calling him her ‘supreme friend’ – despite telling journalists she would never have anything to do with him again.

Writing to Epstein on February 28, 2011 – the day after the MoS published the now infamous picture of him with a teenage Virginia Giuffre that led to his downfall – Andrew said: ‘I’m just as concerned for you! Don’t worry about me!

‘It would seem we are in this together and will have to rise above it.

‘Otherwise keep in close touch and we’ll play some more soon!!!!’

Andrew signed off with: ‘A, HRH The Duke of York, KG’.

KG refers to Duke’s ‘Knight of the Garter’ – a prestigious position he has held since 2006 and which he retained until it was removed on Friday. 

The hugely embarrassing email heaped further pressure on the Royal Family to sever all ties with the disgraced ex-Yorks and raised fresh questions about their future at Royal Lodge. 

And internal talks on the matter began weeks ago after Prince William was left ‘seething’ by his uncle’s behaviour at the Duchess of Kent’s funeral last month. 

Andrew was pictured sidling up to the Prince and Princess of Wales, which the heir to the throne saw as him being distracted from the ceremony. 

No 10 has also reportedly been pressuring the royals to deal with the scandal, which has run on for years and saw Andrew step back from public life in 2019.  

The intervention from Downing Street came after the Prince was entangled in the ongoing Chinese spying row. 

He was suspected of receiving sensitive information after meeting senior Beijing official Cai Qi at least three times in 2018 and 2019. 

Despite all this, the Royal Family appeared from the outside earlier this week to be observing their duties as normal. 

William and Kate were seen on an engagement in Northern Ireland on Tuesday. 

Meanwhile, Charles met with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and attended the Australian High Commission during his time back in the capital. 

In an astonishing email (pictured) revealed in a world exclusive by the Mail on Sunday last week, Andrew told Epstein ‘we are in this together’ a day after the MoS released the infamous picture of the Prince with his alleged then-teenage sex victim Ms Giuffre 

Internal talks on Andrew’s future in the Royal Family began weeks ago after Prince William was left ‘seething’ by his uncle’s behaviour at the Duchess of Kent’s funeral last month (pictured) 

But behind the scenes, royal aides were discussing approaches to the Andrew scandal. 

Removal from succession, payment to move abroad and banning him from royal property were all considered. 

By the end of the week, however, they decided to remove his honorific titles – though there were various complications. 

Officials needed Andrew to consent to the move, else they would have to take up parliamentary time to obtain an Act of Parliament to push it through. 

They felt it would also send a stronger message if it came from him – which may also have a rehabilitative effect. 

And it is understood the King had asserted it should not harm Andrew’s daughters Beatrice and Eugenie. 

After Andrew and his ex-wife agreed to relinquish their titles, Buckingham Palace released a statement on the Prince’s behalf. 

It marked the first time it had spoken for him since his car crash Newsnight interview in 2019. 

The statement read: ‘In discussion with The King, and my immediate and wider family, we have concluded the continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family.

‘I have decided, as I always have, to put my duty to my family and country first. I stand by my decision five years ago to stand back from public life.

‘With His Majesty’s agreement, we feel I must now go a step further.

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

The development means he will no longer be known as the Duke of York and has stepped down from membership of the Order of the Garter – the country’s most ancient order of chivalry. 

Andrew will also relinquish his position as Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victoria Order but he will remain a prince, having been born the son of Queen Elizabeth. 

His ex-wife, Sarah, Duchess of York, with whom he will continue to live at the lavish 30-bedroom Royal Lodge at Windsor, will now be known as plain Sarah Ferguson.

He remained there for the night after the release of the statement, despite pressure to relocate. 

Labour MP Rachael Maskell has now called on the King and the Government to formally strip Andrew of his titles.  

Andrew, Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace have been contacted for comment.