The Queen has revoked Prince Andrew’s titles in an unprecedented move by the Royal family.
This comes after the Royal family has been under increasing pressure to distance themselves from Andrew.
The Duke of York, The Queen’s second son and second in line to the throne, is facing a sexual abuse lawsuit by Virginia Louise Giuffre — a victim of the sex trafficking ring the Jeffrey Epstein.
Giuffre accused the 61-year-old of sexual abuse on three separate occasions when she was 17 — a minor under US law.
Prince Andrew has denied the allegations and said in an infamous interview with the BBC in 2019 that he had no recollection of meeting her.
Andrew had already stepped back from public duties in November 2019 and said in a statement that he regretted his association with Jeffrey Epstein after his suicide.
The Queen strips Andrew of his Royal titles
Buckingham Palace released a brief yet rare statement confirming The Queen has stripped Prince Andrew of his Royal patronage and will defend his sex abuse lawsuit as a private citizen.
“With The Queen’s approval and agreement, The Duke of York’s military affiliations and Royal patronages have been returned to The Queen,” the statement reads, continuing:
“The Duke of York will continue not to undertake any public duties and is defending this case as a private citizen.
Andrew’s roles in the Royal family will be redistributed to other Royal family members following his dismissal.
The Guardian reports that Andrew, who served as a Royal Navy officer in the Falklands war, will be stripped of his most prestigious title — colonel of the Grenadier Guards.
The publication reports that the honorary military titles stripped from the 61-year-old include: honorary air commodore of RAF Lossiemouth; colonel-in-chief of the Royal Irish Regiment; colonel-in-chief of the Small Arms School Corps, and commodore-in-chief of the Fleet Air Arm.
A judge allows lawsuit against Andrew to continue
Lawyers for Andrew argued that Virginia Giuffre’s lawsuit should be dismissed, citing a 2009 deal she signed with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein that would release “any other person” involved in the case from litigation, according to Bloomberg.
However, a New York judge disagreed and allowed the lawsuit to proceed, which was the turning point for the Royal family to distance themselves His former Royal Highness.
Furthermore, Virginia will likely not accept a settlement deal, says her lawyer, which suggests Andrew has a lengthy legal proceeding ahead of him.
The above interview with the BBC damaged Prince Andrew’s reputation.