KING Charles was “protecting” Prince Andrew’s daughters by not stripping him of his titles, it has been claimed.

The former Duke of York, 65, was “forcibly pushed onto his sword” by the King, who had reached “tipping point” with his younger brother.

The King is said to have led frantic negotiations this week after The Sun revealed Andrew lied about cutting ties with paedo pal Jeffrey Epstein.

And following crunch talks, Andrew, 65, finally fell on his sword and gave up his royal titles amid growing fury over the sex abuse scandal.

He gave up his Duke of York title, given to him by the late Queen Elizabeth II, and his role as a member of the Order of the Garter.

Royal sources have since claimed Charles was “protecting” his nieces, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, by asking Andrew to step back.

It is understood the removal of Prince Andrew’s titles would have affected the princesses’ rights to use their titles.

And the King was determined to avoid impacting Beatrice and Eugenie – who he has great affection for – it is believed.

Former BBC presenter Jennie Bond pointed out the hidden message in Andrew’s statement, pointing out his use of “we” instead of “I.”

She told Sky News: “This is a clear indication that extreme pressure has been put on Prince Andrew to do the decent thing and fall on his sword.

“There’s no word of apology or contrition as he was forcibly lowered onto his sword. He has no self awareness.

“If he hadn’t fallen on his sword he would have been pushed very firmly onto it.”

Andrew has also given up his role as a member of the Order of the Garter, the most senior order of chivalry in the UK, which he was given in 2006.

Palace sources confirmed he will not be invited to Christmas at Sandringham and will likely be banished from all future major royal events.

But despite receiving his marching orders, Andrew will be allowed to continue living at Royal Lodge in Windsor.

The former Duke has a “cast-iron” tenancy agreement at the luxurious, 30-room pad until 2078.

However, it is understood the King and Wills are eager to get him out of the mansion, which is located a few miles from Windsor Castle.

It is also just half a mile from the Wales’s new home, Forest Lodge.

Charles is understood to have consulted with his eldest son and other members of the Royal Family before giving Andrew his marching orders.

At 7pm yesterday, Andrew released a blunt statement through Buckingham Palace.

It 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 title was given to him by the late Queen Elizabeth II on July 23, 1986, the day of his wedding to Sarah Ferguson.

Ex-wife Sarah Ferguson will no longer use the title Duchess of York — which she has not used professionally for many years anyway.

Titles have not been forcibly revoked since World War One when the Titles Deprivation Act was used to remove dukedoms from German princes.

But royal author Phil Dampier told The Sun the decision was “inevitable” because the crisis had continued to “pile up” for some time.

We previously revealed Andrew sent an email to Epstein on February 28, 2011, saying “We are in this together”.

He said: “This was becoming inevitable as the crisis has been piling up for some time.

“The revelation Andrew had lied has clearly tipped the situation over the edge that made it difficult for the King to endure it any longer.

“There is nowhere to hide for Andrew, perhaps he might be better off starting a new life abroad as he clearly has no future in the UK.

“It’s a very sad downfall for someone who returned from the Falklands War a hero and the fact he has fallen so low is a Greek tragedy.”

It proved he lied in his 2019 Newsnight interview in which he claimed he broke off contact with the paedo US financier three months earlier.

Andrew told Epstein in the email: “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!!!!”

The late Queen and Charles have already carried out a string of punishments aimed at removing Andrew from royal orbit.

In January 2022, a US judge ruled that a civil sexual assault case against him by Virginia could proceed.

As a result, he was stripped of all his military titles and royal patronages by the Queen.

It was also announced that he would no longer use the style “His Royal Highness” in any official capacity.

In March 2022, Andrew settled out-of-court with Virginia, paying her an undisclosed amount while denying any wrongdoing.

The Palace have previously stepped up efforts to force him out of Royal Lodge by removing his funding and security.

But Andrew clung on after finding new sources of income.