Prince Andrew has been stripped of his military titles and royal patronages, days after a judge allowed an Epstein-tied civil lawsuit against him to go ahead.
In a statement from Buckingham Palace on Thursday, the British Royal Family revealed that Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, has had his military affiliations and Royal patronages returned to the Queen, with a royal source confirming his titles will be redistributed amongst the rest of the Royal Family.
The statement confirmed that Andrew “will continue not to undertake any public duties and is defending this case as a private citizen,” the case in question being a civil lawsuit launched against him by Epstein-accuser Virginia Giuffre.
A statement from Buckingham Palace regarding The Duke of York: pic.twitter.com/OCeSqzCP38
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) January 13, 2022
It comes only a day after Prince Andrew, who will no longer be allowed to use the styling “His Royal Highness” in any official capacity, failed to have the case from Giuffre dismissed by the Southern District of New York court.
“The allegation that [Ms Giuffre] was forced to sit on [Prince Andrew’s] lap while he touched her is sufficient to state a battery claim under New York law, regardless of which part of her body the defendant ultimately is alleged to have touched,” ruled Judge Lewis Kaplan.
“[Bodily] contact is offensive if it is wrongful under all the circumstances, which certainly is a reasonable inference from Ms Giuffre’s allegations.”
“Ms Giuffre’s complaint is neither unintelligible, nor vague nor ambiguous, It alleges discrete incidents of sexual abuse in particular circumstances at three identifiable locations,” he said.
David Boies, the lawyer for Giuffre, said that the ruling was an “important step” in moving forward with a full trial, and added that a financial settlement out of court would be unlikely to satisfy her.
“I think it’s very important to Virginia Giuffre that this matter be resolved in a way that vindicates her and vindicates the other victims. I don’t think she has a firm view as to exactly what a solution should be. But I think what’s going to be important is that this resolution vindicates her and vindicates the claim she has made.”