The Duke of York has fallen out of favor on allegations of sexual abuse of a minor
Trouble continues to haunt Queen Elizabeth II's son. – Prince Andrew, accused of sexually abusing a minor, is forced to relinquish military titles and royal patronage duties.
Royal Sky News commentator Alastair Bruce says the palace's current announcement serves as “a clear statement from the Queen that the Duke of York will not be attending any royal events at this time,” especially as her platinum 70th anniversary approaches. the rise of Elizabeth II. to the British throne: “It will be a very difficult task for the queen, because she is not only the monarch but also the mother.”
The decision was made after the prince's lawyers failed to persuade a U.S. court to drop a civilian sexual abuse case in which American Virginia Giuffre accuses the Duke of York.
According to Sky News, the titles of the prince Andrew deprived, appear as follows: Colonel of the Grenadier Guard, Royal Colonel of the Royal Highland Fusiliers, Chief of the Royal Highland Fusiliers, Chief of the Yorkshire Regiment, Deputy Honorary Commander of the Royal Lancers, Honorary Commander of the School of Small Arms Corps, Chief of the Royal Irish Regiment, Chief of the Royal Rangers of York etc.
Prince Andrew himself still denies all allegations against him and claims that he does not know this woman. A source close to Prince Andrew said on Thursday night that he would “continue to defend” Giuffre's accusations, “Buckingham Palace said.
in case of loss of the Duke of York in court. “He may not be forced to retire like a normal person, but he may be asked to relinquish his title for a time,” a Times quoted a source.
Buckingham Palace previously said that after Andrew's temporary refusal to perform the official duties of a member of the royal family (this happened in 2019), he would also not participate in military-related events.
According to the press, it could be for the prince sent into some kind of “inner exile” because Andrew cannot because of the risk of extradition.
Recall that in early 2019, six women testified against the famous American billionaire Jeffrey Epstein. In July of the same year, the financier was arrested in the United States on charges of selling people into sexual slavery, sex with minors and bribing potential witnesses. found dead in cell. Most recently, in December 2021, a U.S. court found Epstein's girlfriend, “Socialist,” Ghislaine Maxwell, guilty of child molestation and a number of other crimes.
Shortly after Epstein's death, Virginia Giuffre (formerly known as Virginia Roberts), who testified against the financier, said that in early 2000, Prince Andrew was a frequent participant in intimate parties hosted by an American billionaire, and she personally had sex with the Queen's son three times. she was only 17 years old at the time.
Although in her early testimony Virginia Giuffre claimed that the prince's behavior was common (“He was not rude, he just said 'thank you' and what kind words he left and left”), later said she was sexually abused by Prince Andrew.
Prince Andrew himself in 2019, Prince Andrew, said in an interview with BBC Newsnight that he did not remember ever meeting Virginia Giuffre at the time of which speaks. His lawyers also insisted that, under a 2009 court agreement, Giuffre, who had received compensation from Jeffrey Epstein, had pledged not to sue anyone in a billionaire case.
Last October, the BBC recalled – The London police announced the end of the investigation against Prince Andrew and decided that no further action would be taken against him.