One day after a judge ruled that a sex abuse lawsuit against Prince Andrew could move forward, Queen Elizabeth IIÂ revoked all of his military titles. He will no longer be allowed to use “His Royal Highness” in any official capacity and will have to defend himself against the lawsuit as a private citizen.
“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,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement.
A source with the Royal Family told CNN that the Queen will immediately begin redistributing the Duke’s roles to other members of the Royal Family.
“All of the Duke’s roles have been handed back to the Queen with immediate effect for redistribution to other members of the Royal Family. For clarity, they will not return to The Duke of York,” the source said.
The Duke of York is being sued by Virginia Giuffre, who claims that she was forced to have sex with him when she was 17-years-old. The alleged conduct occurred on numerous occasions at the London home of Ghislaine Maxwell, at Jeffery Epstein‘s private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and his mansion in Manhattan.
