Prince Andrew, Queen Elizabeth II’s second son, was virtually deprived of his royal rank on Thursday, in a dramatic move as he confronts a US civil action for sexual assault.
According to British media reports, he will no longer use the title “His Royal Highness” (HRH), which denotes senior members of the royal family, in any capacity.
As the US prosecution looms, Buckingham Palace revealed that Charles has renounced his honorary military titles and philanthropic positions.
“The Duke of York will continue not to undertake any public duties and is defending this case as a private citizen,” a statement read.
On Wednesday, a New York judge dismissed Andrew’s lawyers’ bid to have Virginia Giuffre’s case dismissed.
Giuffre, 38, claims Andrew, who is known as the Queen’s “favourite son,” sexually assaulted her when she was 17 in 2001, claiming she was provided to him by Jeffrey Epstein.
Andrew was forced to leave the public eye after a disastrous 2019 interview in which he claimed to have no recall of meeting Giuffre and defended his acquaintance with convicted child molester Harvey Epstein, who was discovered hanging in jail in 2019.
Several charities and groups distanced themselves from him at the time due to public outcry, and he hasn’t been seen in public since.
An AFP photographer saw him being transported from his home near Windsor Castle, west of London, on Thursday.
