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13th Jan 2022

Prince Andrew’s military titles and royal patronages returned to the Queen

Kieran Galpin

The Duke of York is stripped of titles as court case against him proceeds.

Prince Andrew has had his military affiliations, and royal patronages revoked amidst the ongoing sexual assault case against him from Virginia Giuffre.

In a statement released to the Royal Family’s Twitter account on Thursday, it was announced that Prince Andrew would be “defending this case as a private citizen”.

The statement reads: “With the Queen’s approval and agreement, The Duke of York’s 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.”

Giuffre alleges that the Duke of York trafficked her to Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, where she suffered abuse. The Prince has denied all such claims.

Through a 2009 document made public last week, it was revealed that Virginia Giuffre settled with Jeffrey Epstein for $500k (£371,000) while also agreeing not to sue any other “potential defendant”. While Prince Andrew’s legal team were hoping to use this document to discredit further legal proceedings, Judge Lewis Kaplan ruled in favour of Giuffre.