LONDON (AP) — Queen Elizabeth II has stripped Prince Andrew of all his honorary army titles and royal roles in charities and different civic teams, Buckingham Palace stated Thursday, amid a rising furor over allegations he sexually abused a teenage lady equipped to him by financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Greater than 150 British navy and armed forces veterans had written to the queen asking her to strip her second son of all his army ranks and titles after a U.S. choose stated Wednesday a intercourse assault lawsuit in opposition to the prince might go forward.
In a joint letter issued by the group Republic, they stated they had been “upset and indignant” that Andrew “introduced the providers he’s related to into disrepute.”
The palace stated in a short assertion that “with the queen’s approval and settlement, the Duke of York’s army affiliations and royal patronages have been returned to the queen.”
Patronages confer with roles in charities, army and civic teams that the royals assist.
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“The Duke of York will proceed to not undertake any public duties and is defending this case as a personal citizen,” the assertion added.
The queen is head of the armed forces and honorary army appointments are given by her.
Andrew stepped again from public duties in 2019, after a BBC interview about his friendship with Epstein drew widespread criticism. However he had retained his honorary titles, together with Vice Admiral of the Royal Navy, till now.
A U.S. district choose on Wednesday refused to dismiss a civil case in opposition to Andrew by an American lady, Virginia Giuffre.
Giuffre sued the 61-year-old Andrew in August, saying she was coerced into sexual encounters with him in 2001, when she was 17, by Epstein and his longtime companion, Ghislaine Maxwell. Giuffre stated she was sexually abused by Andrew at Maxwell’s London dwelling, at Epstein’s New York mansion and his property within the U.S. Virgin Islands.
District Choose Lewis A. Kaplan rejected an argument by Andrew’s attorneys that Giuffre’s lawsuit must be thrown out at an early stage due to an previous authorized settlement she had with Epstein, who she claims arrange sexual encounters with the prince.
He careworn that he wasn’t ruling on the reality of the allegations.
Andrew’s attorneys have stated that the royal by no means sexually abused or assaulted Giuffre and that he “unequivocally denies Giuffre’s false allegations in opposition to him.”
Palace officers have declined to touch upon the “ongoing authorized matter.”
