Buckingham Palace Strips Royal And Military Titles, This Is The Effect On Prince Andrew

Pangeran Andrew Albert Christian Edward. (Wikimedia Commons/Chatham House)

JAKARTA - The British Royal Family decided to strip Prince Andrew Albert Christian Edward of his royal and military titles, briefly known as Prince Andrew Duke of York, on Thursday, following a sexual harassment lawsuit he faces in the United States.

The 61-year-old prince was forced to step down from public duty in 2019 because of his relationship with convicted US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and after an interview on the BBC that all hoped to clear his name, the opposite happened.

Yesterday's decision by the Royal family had the effect of losing all of Prince Andrew's royal connections. In addition, he will lose the nickname 'Your Majesty' which previously always preceded the mention of his name.

"With the Queen's consent and approval, the Duke of York's military affiliation and royal patronage has been returned to the Queen," Buckingham Palace said in a statement.

"The Duke of York will continue to refrain from performing his public duties and defending this case as a citizen," the statement continued, another effect the prince had to endure.

A royal source said the decision on Andrew came after extensive discussions among the Royal family, with his military affiliation and patronage to be redistributed among the rest of the family.

The day before, Prince Andrew's lawyers failed to persuade a US judge to drop a civil suit, in which Virginia Giuffre accused him of sexually abusing him when he was a teenager.

U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan said Giuffre, 38, was able to make a claim that he beat her and intentionally caused emotional distress, while Epstein, a financier who committed suicide in prison in August 2019 pending his sex trafficking trial, trafficked him.

The prince, Queen Elizabeth II's second son, has denied Giuffre's accusations that he forced her to have sex more than two decades ago at the London home of Epstein's former colleague Ghislaine Maxwell, as well as abused him on two of Epstein's properties.

The judge's decision means Prince Andrew could be forced to give evidence at the trial, which could start between September and December 2022 if no settlement is reached.

"Given the power that Judge Kaplan used to welcome our arguments, we are not surprised by the decision," said a source close to Andrew.

"However, that is not an assessment of the merits of Ms. Giuffre's allegations. This is a marathon, not a sprint and the Duke will continue to defend himself against these claims." A representative for Giuffre did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Last month, Ghislaine was convicted by a US court of sex trafficking and other charges of recruiting and grooming underage girls for Epstein's abuse.