LONDON, Jan 13 (Reuters) - The Royal family unit eliminated Prince Andrew's defense force hyperlinks and royal patronages on Thursday and said he will no longer be called "His Royal Highness", as the son of Queen Elizabeth fights a U.S. lawsuit in which he's accused of sex abuse.
Andrew, 61, the Duke of York, was forced to step down from public obligations in 2019 as a result of his connections to convicted U.S. sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and after a disastrous BBC television interview which the prince had hoped would clear his name.
Thursday's movement by the royal family unit potential he will now lose all his royal connections.
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"With the queen's approval and agreement, The Duke of York’s militia affiliations and royal patronages have been back to the queen," Buckingham Palace noted in an announcement.
"The Duke of York will proceed now not to undertake any public responsibilities and is defending this case as a personal citizen."
On Wednesday, Andrew's attorneys did not persuade a U.S. decide to disregard a civil lawsuit in which Virginia Giuffre accuses him of sexually abusing her when she became a young person. examine extra
U.S. District judge Lewis Kaplan talked about Giuffre, 38, could pursue claims that Andrew battered her and deliberately caused her emotional misery whereas Epstein - a financier who killed himself in prison in August 2019 while watching for his intercourse trafficking trial - become trafficking her.
The prince, the 95-12 months-old queen's second son, has denied Giuffre's accusations that he compelled her to have intercourse greater than two decades in the past at a London home of former Epstein affiliate Ghislaine Maxwell, and abused her at two Epstein residences.
The choose's determination skill Andrew can be compelled to provide proof at a trial which may begin between September and December 2022 if no settlement have been reached.
'MARATHON not A sprint'
"Given the robustness with which judge Kaplan greeted our arguments, we're unsurprised by the ruling," a supply close to Andrew said.
FILE photo: Britain's Britain's Prince Andrew, Duke of York, looks on all through the funeral of england's Prince Philip, husband of Queen Elizabeth, who died at the age of ninety nine, in Windsor, Britain, April 17, 2021. Chris Jackson/Pool by the use of REUTERS/File picture
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"however, it was no longer a judgement on the deserves of Ms Giuffre's allegations. this is a marathon not a sprint and the Duke will continue to shelter himself towards these claims."
A representative for Giuffre didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Andrew's hyperlinks to Epstein had resulted in a swathe of damaging media studies, main the prince to decide to do an tv interview in November 2019 which he hoped would unravel the remember.
It instead led to ridicule and further questions, and as the controversy grew, Buckingham Palace had more and more distanced itself from the prince, declining to comment and referring all inquiries to his legal professionals.
"this is now about the insurance plan of the royal family's recognition. here's more likely to do, and is already doing, considerable reputational damage - it's being followed all over the world," the BBC's royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell stated.
The U.S. convicti on last month of his chum Ghislaine Maxwell on sex trafficking and different fees of recruiting and grooming underage ladies for Epstein to abuse, at the side of his personal case, had left his acceptance within the British media in tatters.
A royal source referred to the decision over Andrew came after large discussions among the Windsors, and that his defense force affiliations and patronages can be redistributed to different contributors of the family unit.
earlier, an open letter to the queen, signed by way of greater than one hundred fifty veterans calling for Andrew too ha ve his defense force titles taken away and "if quintessential, that he be dishonourably discharged", changed into posted by using the anti-monarchy crusade community Republic.
They called for Elizabeth to take immediate action as a result of her son had been "uncooperative and fewer than truthful" about his relationship with Epstein, and had introduced the armed features he represented into disrepute.
"regardless of the result of Virginia Giuffre’s civil case in opposition t Prince Andrew, his position in Britain's defense force is now untenable," the veterans' letter refer red to.
The scandal surrounding Andrew comes on the heels of the harm led to after the queen's grandson Prince Harry and his American wife Meghan stop royal tasks to forge new careers in l. a., later accusing the royal family of racism.
They too have been stripped of all their patronages, the 'His and Her Royal Highness' titles, and Harry additionally misplaced his prized military roles.
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Reporting by Michael Holden; extra reporting via Luc Cohen in manhattan; editing by Kate Holton, Angus MacSwa n, John Stonestreet and Daniel Wallis
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