Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Andrew, Duke of York watch a flypast from the balcony of Buckingham Palace throughout Trooping The Colour, the Queen’s annual birthday parade, on June 8, 2019 in London, England.
Max Mumby | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images
Prince Andrew of Britain was stripped Thursday by his mom Queen Elizabeth II of his army affiliations and royal patronages as he continues preventing a New York lawsuit that accuses him of sexually abusing an underage girl while she was in thrall to sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein.
Andrew, who had been an in depth pal of Epstein, additionally now not will use the model “His Royal Highness” in any official capability, in line with a royal supply, Reuters reported.
The information company additionally reported that Andrew’s official roles will probably be handed to different members of the royal household.
“With The Queen’s approval and settlement, The Duke of York’s army affiliations and Royal patronages have been returned to The Queen,” Buckingham Palace stated in an announcement.
“The Duke of York will proceed to not undertake any public duties and is defending this case as a private citizen.”
The announcement got here inside hours of a letter from greater than 150 veterans of the Royal Navy, Air Force and Army calling on the queen to strip her second son of all his titles and ranks in the armed forces.
The letter stated that Andrew had “fallen effectively wanting” the army’s highest requirements of “probity, honesty and honourable conduct.”
“It is tough to not see, when senior officers are reportedly describing him as ‘poisonous’, that he has introduced the providers he is related to into disrepute,” the letter stated.
Virginia Giuffre claims in her Manhattan federal courtroom lawsuit that she had intercourse with the prince at age 17 a number of occasions on the route of Ghislaine Maxwell, who not too long ago was convicted at a legal trial in the identical courtroom of procuring different underage women to be sexually abused by Epstein.
Andrew denies Giuffre’s allegations and has stated he doesn’t recall ever assembly her.
A judge on Wednesday rejected Andrew’s request that the lawsuit be dismissed. Lawyers for the Duke of York had argued that a civil settlement that Epstein reached with Giuffre in 2008 barred her from suing Andrew or others who allegedly abused her as a results of her reference to Epstein.