The UK’s Prince Andrew has been stripped of his military titles and royal sponsorship, the Buckingham Palace announced on Thursday, a day after a judge ruled that the sexual abuse lawsuit against the Queen’s son could go forward, as part of the Epstein-Maxwell case.
The resounding announcement from Buckingham Palace comes a day after Prince Andrew’s appeals were rejected, where he attempted to drop the civil suit in New York, initiated by an American woman who accused him of sexual assault in 2001, when she was only 17.
Unless a successful appeal or settlement is reached by then, the trial could be held in the fall.
Prince Andrew is vigorously contesting the accusations, but the palace announced that “with the Queen’s consent and approval, the Duke of York’s military affiliations and royal sponsorships have been returned to the Queen.”
The prince will continue to hold no public office, and “is defending himself in this matter as a private citizen,” Buckingham said, implying that the Queen would not fund his legal fees.
The Duke of York will no longer use the title of “Royal Highness” in an official capacity, a royal source told the BBC.
Andrew has withdrawn from public life since his calamitous interview with the BBC in the fall of 2019, where he had claimed to have no memory of having met Virginia Giuffre and defended his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, who was later found hanged while in custody.
This January 13, over 150 former members of the British army had asked the queen to remove Andrew’s military titles.
The plaintiff, Virginia Giuffre, claims that she was trafficked and forced into performing sexual acts with the Prince when she was 17 years old by Jeffrey Epstein. Prince Andrew has strongly denied those claims.
The New York court’s decision came as the Queen had just announced the program of festivities that will mark her 70th year on the throne.
