Prince Andrew's official website has been taken down 8 months after he stepped down from royal life
- Prince Andrew's official website has been removed eight months after he announced his "step back" from public duties.
- The decision to step down came following backlash over his interview about his relationship with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
- Prince Andrew's site — thedukeofyork.org — now redirects to the duke's profile page on the royal family's website.
- A Buckingham Palace spokesperson told Insider that the duke's website was taken down because "the contract with the host provider for the website came to an end."
The Duke of York's official website has been taken down, Buckingham Palace confirmed to Insider.
Prince Andrew's site — thedukeofyork.org — now redirects to the duke's profile page on the royal family's website.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson told Insider "the contract with the host provider for the website came to an end."
The Queen's son officially resigned from royal duties eight months ago following the backlash he faced over his interview about his relationship with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
"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 organizations and charities that I am proud to support," the Duke of York said in an official statement in November.
"Therefore, I have asked Her Majesty if I may step back from public duties for the foreseeable future, and she has given her permission," he added.
The website takedown comes after British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell was arrested in New Hampshire by police investigating Epstein's sex trafficking ring, which Maxwell is accused of helping to operate.
Some have suggested that Maxwell — a mutual friend of both Prince Andrew and Epstein — could reveal more information about their relationship.
However, Laura Goldman — a friend of Maxwell's — said during an interview with the BBC that she likely won't ever speak about Andrew.
"She's always told me that she would never, ever, say anything about [Prince Andrew]. You know, I think she felt that he was her friend and she was never, ever, going to say anything about him," Goldman said. "She really felt that in the '90s, when her father died, that Prince Andrew was there for her, in many ways."
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