Prince Andrew Has Been Officially Stripped of His Royal Titles Amid Ongoing Sexual Assault Allegations

Prince Andrew has been stripped of his royal titles, according to Buckingham Palace. The decision was approved by Andrew's mother, Queen Elizabeth II, and followed his most recent failed attempt to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Virginia Giuffre, who says she was abused by the royal when she was 17 years old and being sexually trafficked by Ghislaine Maxwell and the late Jeffrey Epstein.

"With The Queen’s approval and agreement, The Duke of York’s military affiliations and Royal patronages have been returned to The Queen," Buckingham Palace announced in a statement released Thursday. "The Duke of York will continue not to undertake any public duties and is defending this case as a private citizen."

According to Harper's Bazaar, Andrew's stripped roles and titles were returned to the Queen effective immediately and "will be redistributed to other working members of the Royal Family, which would include Prince William, Duchess Kate, Princess Anne, Prince Edward, Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall." In addition to losing his military roles and titles, Andrew is reportedly banned from using the style "His Royal Highness" in any official capacity going forward.

A royal source told Harper's Bazaar that the decision to strip Andrew of his titles and roles was "widely discussed" within the royal family and that the royals have already decided that Andrew's titles will never be reinstated, regardless of the outcome of Giuffre's lawsuit. The amongst family members and that it was also decided that the roles will never return to the Duke of York—regardless of the outcome of Giuffre’s civil case.

Buckingham Palace's announcement came just one day after a federal judge in New York denied a motion filed by Andrew's legal team to dismiss Giuffre's lawsuit against him, according to CNN.

"Ms. Giuffre's complaint is neither 'unintelligible' nor 'vague' nor 'ambiguous,'" Judge Lewis Kaplan wrote (per CNN). "It alleges discrete incidents of sexual abuse in particular circumstances at three identifiable locations. It identifies to whom it attributes that sexual abuse."

According to royal expert Omid Scobie, the ruling means that Andrew will "now have to give full testimony under oath ahead of a major trial this fall."

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