Queen Elizabeth has stripped Prince Andrew, her second son, of his military and royal titles amid a sexual assault case involving him.

The Buckingham Palace announced this in a statement approved by the Queen on Thursday.

The Queen said Andrew will no longer use the title “His Royal Highness” in any official capacity until the case comes to an end.

According to her, the Duke of York will defend the sexual assault case against him as a “private citizen.”

It reads, “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.”

It comes after a federal judge in New York denied Andrew’s motion to drop the civil case against him by Virginia Guiffre.

Giuffre had accused the prince of sexually assaulting her in New York when she was 17 in 2001.

The 38-year-old woman had also alleged that Jeffrey Epstein, Andrew’s friend, set her up for the sexual encounter.

In the lawsuit, Giuffre further alleged that the Duke of York had sex with her without her consent, even though he was aware of her age at the time.
Andrew has denied the sexual assault allegations against him on several occasions.

In an interview with the BBC in 2019, he said he had no recollection of ever meeting Guiffre.

“It didn’t happen, I have no recollection of ever meeting this lady, none whatsoever,” he had said.