A royal source told the publication: “It feels like we are reaching a tipping point.”
Other options include removing the duke from the Order of the Garter, an ancient order of chivalry that Andrew has been a part of since 2006, or evicting him from his lavish 30-room home, Royal Lodge.
Stripping Andrew of his Dukedom is not a straightforward or simple process, as only Parliament has the power to remove it. But it is likely to have public support, as a recent YouGov poll showed that 67% of Britons backed removing his remaining titles.
But there is a legal mechanism for it, which was last used during the First World War to sanction aristocrats who had UK titles but were fighting in the German army.
However, the Palace are concerned that such a move would be a waste of Parliamentary time.
Just this week, Andrew’s public image has been further tarnished by the publication of Ms Giuffre’s memoir. She described the “entitled” prince as thinking it was his “birthright” to sleep with her.
Emails have also emerged that cast doubt on his claim in his BBC Newsnight interview that he ceased contact with Epstein after they met in New York in December 2010. In newly published emails that Andrew is alleged to have written in 2011, the Duke tells Epstein, “we are in this together” and tells him to “keep in close touch”.
He is said to have signed off with: “A, HRH The Duke of York, KG.”
In his November 2019 interview with Emily Maitlis, Andrew told her: “I ceased contact with him [Epstein] after I was aware that he was under investigation and that was later in 2006 and I wasn’t in touch with him again until 2010.”
And it’s not the only scandal causing embarrassment for the Firm as it has emerged he invited as Cai Qi, the official at the centre of the China spy scandal, to Buckingham Palace for lunch.