The Duke of York’s military titles and royal patronages have been returned to the Queen, Buckingham Palace has said.
Prince Andrew, 61, will also stop using the style His Royal Highness in an official capacity, a royal source said.
It comes as he faces a US civil action over sexual assault allegations – claims he has consistently denied.
A source close to the duke said he would “continue to defend himself” against the case brought in New York by Virginia Giuffre.
But the source insisted a judge’s ruling on Wednesday that the civil action could proceed was “not a judgement on the merits of Ms Giuffre’s allegations”.
Buckingham Palace said in a statement: “With the Queen’s approval and agreement, the Duke of York’s military affiliations and Royal patronages have been returned to the Queen.
“The Duke of York will continue not to undertake any public duties and is defending this case as a private citizen.”
All Prince Andrew’s roles have been returned to the Queen with immediate effect, and will be redistributed to other members of the Royal Family, a source said.
The issue had been widely discussed with the Royal Family, the source said.
Like Harry and Meghan, Prince Andrew retains his title HRH but will not use it in any official capacity.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence said it had no comment about the duke’s military titles being handed back to the Queen, and that it was a matter for the Palace.
On Thursday, a letter – released by anti-monarchy pressure group Republic – was signed by more than 150 Royal Navy, RAF and Army veterans asking the Queen to strip Prince Andrew of his eight British military titles.
Lt Stuart Hunt, who served in The 1st Royal Tank Regiment and signed the letter, welcomed the prince losing his military titles but suggested the matter should have been resolved sooner.
The 52-year-old told the PA News Agency: “It’s an unsavoury business… I’m just glad he’s not associated with the military now.
“Whether he’s guilty or not, he has brought things into disrepute… He’s not fit to serve in an honorary rank. He has forgone that right by getting into this sort of situation.”
The duke had a 22-year career in the Royal Navy, and served as a helicopter pilot during the Falklands War.
The latest Palace announcement means he has lost military titles including Colonel of the Grenadier Guards – one of the most senior infantry regiments in the British army.
The other UK military titles he no longer has include:
- Honorary air commodore of RAF Lossiemouth
- Colonel-in-chief of the Royal Irish Regiment
- Colonel-in-chief of the Small Arms School Corps
- Colonel-in-chief of The Royal Lancers (Queen Elizabeth’s Own)
- Colonel-in-chief of the Yorkshire Regiment
- Colonel-in-chief of the Small Arms School Corps
- Commodore-in-Chief of the Fleet Air Arm
- Royal colonel of the Royal Highland Fusiliers
- Royal colonel of the Royal Regiment of Scotland.
The duke will also lose several overseas honorary roles including colonel-in-chief of The Royal Highland Fusiliers Of Canada, colonel-in-chief of the Royal New Zealand Army Logistic Regiment, colonel-in-chief of the Princess Louise Fusiliers of Canada and colonel-in-chief of the Queen’s York Rangers (1st American Regiment).
But he will retain his service rank of Vice-Admiral, the Palace has confirmed.
As an ex-member of the armed forces, he was promoted in line with his still-serving peers and made Vice-Admiral by the Navy on his 55th birthday in 2015.
The duke was due to be promoted to Admiral on his 60th birthday in 2020, but asked to defer this after stepping back from public duties in 2019.
At the time, the Palace said his other military appointments had been suspended.
Several other charities and organisations had cut their ties with the duke, but he continued to hold dozens of royal patronages – including being a patron or member of prestigious golf clubs, schools and cultural trusts.
Source: BBC
