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Prince Andrew has given up his military affiliations and will no longer use the title “His Royal Highness” as he battles a lawsuit over allegations of sexual assault.
“With The Queen’s approval and agreement, the Duke of York’s military affiliations and Royal patronages have been returned to The Queen,” Buckingham Palace announced Thursday. “The Duke of York will continue not to undertake any public duties and is defending this case as a private citizen.”
Royal sources have told the media that the Duke will also stop using the “HRH” title in any official capacity.
The announcement came just days after a judge in New York rejected a bid by Prince Andrew’s lawyers to dismiss a case against him filed by Virginia Giuffre. Ms. Giuffre was among several victims of sex trafficking by Jeffery Epstein, a one-time friend of the Duke’s. She has alleged in a civil suit that Prince Andrew sexually assaulted her on three occasions when she was under the age of 18. Prince Andrew has denied the allegations.
The judge’s decision means Andrew could be forced to give evidence at a trial which could begin between September and December this year if no settlement were reached.
A representative for Ms. Giuffre did not immediately respond to a request for comment by Reuters.
Prince Andrew’s links to Mr. Epstein had led to a swathe of damaging media reports, leading the prince to decide to do an TV interview in November, 2019, which he hoped would resolve the matter.
It instead led to ridicule and further questions, and as the controversy grew, Buckingham Palace had increasingly distanced itself from the prince, declining to comment and referring all questions to his lawyers.
The U.S. conviction last month of his friend Ghislaine Maxwell on sex trafficking and other charges of recruiting and grooming underage girls for Mr. Epstein to abuse, together with his own case, had left his reputation in the British media in tatters.
A royal source told Reuters that the decision over Prince Andrew came after wide discussions among the Windsors, and that his military affiliations and patronages would be redistributed to other members of the family.
Earlier, an open letter to the queen, signed by more than 150 veterans calling for Andrew to have his military titles taken away and “if necessary, that he be dishonourably discharged”, was published by the anti-monarchy campaign group Republic.
They called for the Queen to take immediate action because her son had been “unco-operative and less than truthful” about his relationship with Mr. Epstein, and had brought the armed services he represented into disrepute.
“Regardless of the result of Virginia Giuffre’s civil case against Prince Andrew, his position in Britain’s armed forces is now untenable,” the veterans’ letter said.
With files from Reuters
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