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Prince Andrew was said to be tearful after the Queen removed his honorary military titles, it was claimed tonight.
The Duke of York, who can no longer be known as His Royal Highness ‘in any official capacity’, is expected to write to his former regiments to express his remorse at having to leave, the Sunday Mirror reported.
‘The Prince was tearful when told the news even though he had expected it. He feels that he has let so many people down, not least his mother, during her Platinum Jubilee year,’ a senior defence source said.
The news comes as the prince was said to have hosted a shooting party for about 12 friends and relatives on Friday – a day after the monarch’s decision to remove the titles.
The group is understood to have gathered at his Royal Lodge home before heading off for the shoot in Great Windsor Park, Berkshire.
Prince Andrew was ‘tearful’ after the Queen removed his honorary military titles, a senior defence source said, according to the Sunday Mirror
The Duke of York, who can no longer be known as His Royal Highness ‘in any official capacity’, is expected to write to his former regiments to express his remorse at having to leave
‘The Prince was tearful when told the news even though he had expected it. He feels that he has let so many people down, not least his mother, during her Platinum Jubilee year,’ a senior defence source said. (Andrew is pictured above in RAF regalia in Lossiemouth, Scotland in 2015)
Buckingham Palace announced the Queen’s decision to cast Andrew out of the royal fold in a statement on Thursday
A stony-faced Andrew was spotted leaving the lodge on Saturday morning with ex-wife Sarah Ferguson. They are not believed to have been present at the shoot itself.
The shooting party was understood to have been a Christmas present from the Queen to Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack, who invited along family friends.
‘It seems quite brazen of Andrew to host a party and let his family go shooting with all the controversy raging,’ a source told the Sun on Sunday.
The Palace said previously that the Duke’s military appointments were in abeyance after he stepped down from public duties in 2019.
But, up until a few days ago, he still retained the roles, including the position of Colonel of the Grenadier Guards, one of the oldest and most emblematic regiments in the British Army.
His other British honorary military titles are: Honorary air commodore of RAF Lossiemouth; Colonel-in-chief of the Royal Irish Regiment; Colonel-in-chief of the Small Arms School Corps; Commodore-in-Chief of the Fleet Air Arm; Royal colonel of the Royal Highland Fusiliers; Deputy colonel-in-chief of The Royal Lancers (Queen Elizabeths’ Own); and Royal colonel of the Royal Regiment of Scotland.
It comes after more than 150 veterans joined forces to express their outrage, writing to the Queen to demand Andrew was removed from the honorary military positions.
Accusing the Duke of bringing the services he is associated with into disrepute, the 152 former members of the Royal Navy, RAF and Army said that ‘were this any other senior military officer it is inconceivable that he would still be in post’.
Prince Andrew in regalia of the 2nd Logistic Battalion in New Zealand. On Thursday, he lost his honourary title of Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal New Zealand Army Logistic Regiment
The Queen is head of the armed forces and honorary military appointments are in her gift.
Andrew’s stunning downfall, which also saw him stripped of his royal patronages ‘with the Queen’s approval and agreement’ last Thursday, comes as his family abandoned him to fight his sex abuse lawsuit in America as a private citizen.
A US judge unequivocally rejected the prince’s bid to have his sex abuse case thrown out, leaving him facing the prospect of being cross-examined for seven hours on camera with embarrassing questions on everything from his sex life and ‘private parts’.
The Duke has been urged to settle out of court with his accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre ‘for the sake of his mother’, who celebrates her Platinum Jubilee this year.
But he could face difficulties given Ms Giuffre is said to be pushing for ‘her day in court’.
He is only the 5th royal in recent history to stop officially using the HRH title, with Princess Diana and Sarah, Duchess of York, losing the styling after their divorce, while Prince Harry and Meghan Markle agreed to lose theirs publicly as part of their ‘Megxit’ deal with the Queen.
But like Harry and Meghan, Andrew will privately retain the title inside Palace walls, meaning he will not have to start bowing to all HRH members of the family.
The decision to shred Andrew’s military ties is likely to be particularly painful for the Royal Navy veteran, who served with distinction as a helicopter pilot during the Falklands War.
Buckingham Palace had announced the Queen’s decision to cast Andrew out of the royal fold in a statement.
‘With The Queen’s approval and agreement, The Duke of York’s military affiliations and Royal patronages have been returned to The Queen,’ it read. ‘The Duke of York will continue not to undertake any public duties and is defending this case as a private citizen.’
A royal source said the issue had been widely discussed with the royal family, making it likely that the Prince of Wales, as well as Andrew, were involved in crisis talks over the matter.
The source said the military posts would be redistributed to other members of the royal family.
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