Queen Elizabeth II has stripped her second son, Prince Andrew, of his military titles and royal patronages after a United States of America (USA) judge ruled his trial for sex offenses could go ahead.
The palace said 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.
“The Duke of York will continue not to undertake any public duties and is defending this case as a private citizen.”
Andrew is facing a civil trial for sexual assault in the U.S., after a judge ruled on Wednesday the case could go ahead. He denies all charges.
His accuser, Virginia Giuffre, claims she was trafficked to have sex with the queen’s second son when she was 17 and a minor under U.S. law.
Judge Lewis A Kaplan dismissed a motion by the duke’s lawyers to have the civil case thrown out after they argued Giuffre had waived her right to pursue Andrew by signing a confidential settlement with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
“Given the robustness with which Judge Kaplan greeted our arguments, we are unsurprised by the ruling,” a spokesperson for the royal told Variety. “However, it was not a judgement on the merits of Ms. Giuffre’s allegations. This is a marathon not a sprint and the duke will continue to defend himself against these claims.”
The move to remove his titles comes after calls from veterans to strip him of his honorary military roles.
In an open letter to the queen, more than 150 former members of the Royal Navy, Royal Air Force (RAF) and British Army described their “upset and anger” at Andrew retaining the titles, saying his position was “untenable.
The letter said: “Please do not leave it any longer.”
The 95 year old queen is head of the armed forces, and honorary military appointments are in her gift.
The duke had held the title of Colonel of the Grenadier Guards, one of the oldest and most emblematic regiments in the British Army.
His other British honorary military titles were: 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.
Andrew, who strenuously denies the allegation, was forced to quit public life after a calamitous 2019 interview in which he claimed to have no memory of meeting Giuffre and defended his friendship with convicted paedophile Epstein, who was found hanged in prison in 2019.
Public outrage at the time saw several charities and associations distance themselves from him and he has rarely been since in public since.
On Thursday, he was seen being driven from his house near Windsor Castle, west of London.
For a monarchy beset by crises, 2022 was meant to celebrate Elizabeth II’s 70 years on the throne, with parades, pageants and public holidays.
But Andrew’s legal woes threaten more pain for the ageing monarch, after her grandson Prince Harry and his wife Meghan’s shock move to the United States, from where they criticised royal life, including accusing it of racism.
