Queen Elizabeth has stripped Prince Andrew of royal and military titles.
Gatekeepers News reports that the Queen has stripped Prince Andrew of his military and royal titles on Thursday, a day after a Manhattan judge allowed the sexual assault lawsuit against the 61-year-old prince to move forward.
The Buckingham Palace said, “With The Queen’s approval and agreement, The Duke of York’s military affiliations and Royal patronages have been returned to The Queen.”
Although a royal source confirmed that Andrew would no longer use the title “His Royal Highness” in any official capacity, adding that his other roles would be distributed among other members of the royal family, He is, however, still listed on the royal family’s official website as ninth in line to the throne.
While commenting on the sex-assault lawsuit against Andrew, the palace said “The Duke of York will continue not to undertake any public duties and is defending this case as a private citizen.”
Andrew’s monarch mom earlier barred her middle son from performing royal duties amid the severe backlash sparked by his disastrous 2019 BBC interview justifying his friendship with pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and now-convicted madam Ghislaine Maxwell.
The prince, a former Royal Navy helicopter pilot who flew in the 1982 Falklands War, initially retained his military titles.
His other titles include vice-admiral of the Royal Navy and honorary colonel of the Grenadier Guards, the stoic soldiers famed for guarding Buckingham Palace in their distinctive bearskin hats and red tunics.
The Queen’s decision followed mounting calls for Andrew to finally lose those titles, as more than 150 veterans signed an open letter calling for the move, adding that he had brought the armed services he represented into disrepute.
The letter which was addressed to the Queen, who is head of the British armed forces read in part:
“We understand that he is your son, but … please do not leave it any longer.
“All of us have served our country and are proud to have done so. For that reason, we are particularly upset and angry that Prince Andrew remains a member of the armed forces and continues to hold military titles,” the veterans wrote.
“Officers of the British armed forces must adhere to the very highest standards of probity, honesty, and honorable conduct. These are standards which Prince Andrew has fallen well short of,” the letter said.
“We are therefore asking that you take immediate steps to strip Prince Andrew of all his military ranks and titles and, if necessary, that he be dishonorably discharged.”
