Prince Andrew's crushing blow as Brits deliver blistering verdict on disgraced royal

The public reputation of Prince Andrew has been in tatters for several years, as new details continue to emerge about his friendship with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein . Now, in the wake of Andrew announcing that he would be rescinding his royal titles and honours amid the allegations against him - which he denies - his popularity in the eyes of the public has taken yet another nose dive. Pollsters from Ipsos asked the public for their opinion on Andrew just days before he made the shock announcement, and asked the same question just days later, with the polls having vastly different responses. The poll ran between October 10 and 11 - one week before Andrew’s announcement about his titles - concluded that 74 percent of respondents held an unfavourable view of the disgraced royal. The same question was posed by Ipsos on October 20 and 21 - just days after Andrew handed back his royal titles and honours - which saw his approval rating drop by a whopping 8 percent, with 82 percent of respondents holding an unfavourable view of the former Duke of York. Respondents were also quizzed over how well they thought the royal family at large handled the situation with Andrew when allegations first came to light several years ago. Two in five Brits responded that they believed the Firm had handled the situation poorly since Prince Andrew first came under fire for his relationship to Epstein, while an overwhelming 88 percent of Britons agree it was the right decision for Andrew to give up titles in the wake of the ongoing scandal. As discussions continue about introducing a new law to give the monarch the ability to remove royal titles, 51 per cent of Brits think there should be an Act of Parliament to officially remove Andrew’s titles - such as the Duke of York. A further 36 per cent of respondents believe an Act of Parliament is not necessary given that Andrew has vowed to no longer use his titles, while just two per cent of people said Andrew should not have to relinquish his titles at all. Despite the huge change in Prince Andrew’s popularity, the public view of more senior royals - such as the Prince and Princess of Wales - and the entire royal family as a whole, has not drastically changed, with many still holding them in a favourable light. Two in five Britons continue to think it would be worse for Britain if the monarchy was abolished in the future, Prince William remains the fan favourite member of the royal family with a favourability rating of 69 percent. The huge dip in Prince Andrew’s popularity rating comes after he announced on Friday that he would be renouncing his royal titles and honours in a bombshell statement issued by Buckingham Palace , as he said: "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."