It appears the British Royal Family is distancing itself from Prince Andrew, the Duke of York. A day after he was denied to have a lawsuit dismissed from alleged Jeffrey Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre, it was announced Thursday that his military titles and royal patronage have been returned to his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
The Duke of York will no longer use the style “His Royal Highness” in any official capacity, a royal source told ABC News, and his military and patronage roles will be redistributed among members of the royal family.
“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 said in a statement. “The Duke of York will continue not to undertake any public duties and is defending this case as a private citizen.”
Prince Andrew, the second youngest of Queen Elizabeth and the late Prince Philip’s four children, served for 22 years in the Royal Navy.
On Wednesday, a federal judge in New York rejected Prince Andrew’s claim that a 2009 settlement agreement between Giuffre and Epstein exempted him from civil litigation. Giuffre alleges Epstein trafficked her to Prince Andrew, who took advantage and sexually abused her when she was under 18.
The judge called his argument to toss the case “ambiguous” and that it lacked “clear and precise” drafting.
Source-ABC
