Prince Andrew Loses Military Titles, Royal patronages Over Sexual Assault Charges

Queen Elizabeth II stripped Prince Andrew of his honorary military roles and royal patronages as he faces a US civil case for sexual assault. Prince Andrew, 61, will also no longer use the style of His Royal Highness in any official capacity.

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."

According to the sources, he would continue to defend himself against the case brought in New York by Virginia Giuffre. Prince Andrew retains his title HRH, just like Harry and Meghan but won't use it in any official capacity.

In August 2021, Giuffre filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York against the Duke of York. She accused Prince Andrew of sexually assaulting her three times, according to documents obtained by E! News, and said he was aware she was being trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, when she was under the age of 18.

Andrew was forced to leave public life after a disastrous 2019 interview in which he claimed to have no memory of meeting Giuffre and defended his acquaintance with convicted Epstein, who was found hanging in jail in 2019. After this, he was rarely been seen in public.

More than 150 veterans of the Royal Navy, Royal Air Force, and British Army wrote to the Queen, requesting that Andrew be stripped of his military levels and honours.

The duke had a 22-year career in the Royal Navy and served as a helicopter pilot during the Falklands War.

The other UK military titles he no longer has included:

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

He would also be deprived of many 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.

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