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Prince Andrew is giving up his honors, among them the York's Duke, he has announced in a personal statement.

He has been under mounting attention over his links with disgraced financier the financier, with requests for the royal household to take action against him.

That now appears to have resulted in the prince deciding to voluntarily return his designations and to surrender involvement of the Order of the Garter.

In his statement he said he continued to "firmly deny the claims against me".

"In discussion with the King, and my immediate and extended family, we have concluded the continued claims about me distract from the duties of His Majesty and the monarchy," said a announcement from him.

"I have chosen, as I always have, to put my duty to my family and land first.

"I stand by my choice five years ago to withdraw from royal engagements.

"With the monarch's consent, we think I must now go a additional measure. I will therefore no longer employ my honor or the honours which have been granted to me. As I have said earlier, I vigorously refute the accusations against me."

Prince Andrew has been involved in a series of controversies, including a lawsuit he resolved with an accuser, doubts about his economic affairs and his connection with an accused foreign agent.

He will stay a prince - but will discontinue to be the the Duke, a honor granted from his the late Queen, the Queen Elizabeth II.

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

His former spouse will be known as Sarah Ferguson and no longer Duchess of York, but their children will carry on to have the designation of princesses.

The royal has encountered strong attention over his associations with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, more recently including inquiries about when he had truly cut off communication.

In his BBC Newsnight interview, he had said that he had ended all connections with Jeffrey Epstein after they had been seen together in New York in December 2010.

But correspondence sent in early 2011 later surfaced suggesting that he had confidentially continued in touch with Epstein, including sending a note: "Keep in close touch and we'll have further interactions soon!"

There had been mounting annoyance in the monarchy at the issues that remained to surround the figure.

Next week a late publication by Virginia Giuffre will be released which is anticipated to bring further attention on his involvement with Ms Giuffre and Jeffrey Epstein.