London, Jan 13 (PTI) Britain’s Prince Andrew, the younger son of Queen Elizabeth II, has returned all of his military titles and royal patronages to the monarch, Buckingham Palace said on Thursday.
The 61-year-old Duke of York, the younger brother of Prince Charles, is facing a civil sex case trial in the US over allegations of sexual assault.
He is being sued by Virginia Giuffre, who alleges that she was trafficked by late disgraced American financier Jeffrey Epstein to have sex with Prince Andrew when she was 17 – allegations the royal has consistently denied.
“With the Queen’s approval and agreement, the Duke of York’s military affiliations and royal patronages have been returned to the Queen,” the palace statement read.
“The Duke of York will continue not to undertake any public duties and is defending this case as a private citizen,” it said.
“His Royal Highness” has been dropped from his title and all of Prince Andrew’s roles will be redistributed to other members of the royal family and will not be returned to him, a royal source was quoted by the BBC as saying.
It comes after a US judge ruled on Wednesday that the case brought by Giuffre could continue, after lawyers for Andrew failed to have it dismissed. PTI AK RUP RUP RUP
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