Prince Andrew is officially stepping back from royal duties

It has been announced that Prince Andrew is stepping down from royal duties for the near future.

Prince Andrew made news this weekend as he finally addressed his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, 66-year-old multimillionaire businessman and registered sex offender who died in an apparent suicide earlier this year.

Epstein was being held without bail on charges of sex trafficking girls (some as young as 14), with the financier also making news this year for reportedly using his business relationship with Leslie Wexner, CEO of the L Brands, to take advantage of aspiring Victoria’s Secret models.

Prince Andrew’s name has been linked to Epstein’s after footage emerged reportedly showing the Royal in Jeffrey Epstein’s mansion in 2010.

In an attempt to address the allegations, Prince Andrew did a royal first this weekend, engaging in a one-hour interview about Epstein with BBC Newsnight's Emily Maitlis, aired on Saturday from Buckingham Palace.

The internet however was not impressed, with it widely criticised as a ‘car crash’ of an interview, with Prince Andrew explaining in detail that he medically could not sweat and using Pizza Express in Woking as an ‘alibi’.

Following the emergence of the interview, people were quick to question why the Queen gave the TV interview the go-ahead, something palace insiders weighed in on this week, revealing that she actually didn’t, reporting that the decision came from Prince Andrew's office.

Today, it was announced that Prince Andrew is stepping down from royal duties for the near future, with ITV’s Chris Ship sharing the quote from the Royal, ‘I have asked Her Majesty if I may step back from public duties for the foreseeable future, and she has given her permission.’

‘It has become clear to me over the last few days that the circumstances relating to my former association with Jeffrey Epstein has become a major disruption to my family’s work and the valuable work going on in the many organisations and charities that I am proud to support,’ a statement from the Duke of York read. 'Therefore, I have asked Her Majesty if I may step back from public duties for the foreseeable future, and she has given her permission’.

We will continue to update this story.