Prince Andrew will face trial in the Epstein case starting in the fall of 2022. The Duke of York has therefore officially renounced his military titles and sponsorships, as Buckingham Palace announced.
It’s official, prince andrew has just given up his military titles and sponsorships. The announcement was made via a statement from Buckingham Palace on Queen Elizabeth II’s Instagram account. “With the Queen’s consent and approval, the Duke of York’s military affiliations and royal patronages were returned to the Queen. The Duke of York will continue not to hold public office and defends himself in this case as a private citizen“, we could read. Involved in the Epstein affair, the Duke of York will be the subject of a trial which should open in the fall. A historic decision, but which had already been mentioned by the Sunday Times January 2. Many members of the royal family wanted the father of Eugénie and Béatrice to be stripped of these titles, he who is accused of having “dishonored“Queen Elizabeth II.
An intimate of the queen told the media: “You can’t get him to quit like you would a normal person, but he would be asked to put his dukedom on hold”. A “form of internal exile”, intended to punish Prince Andrew who cannot “to go abroad because of the risk of extradition”. Yet a crown spokesperson quickly denied the report, calling them “speculations”. “The comments are unfounded“, affirmed this royal source. Sarah Ferguson’s ex retains his Duke of York title, but therefore renounces his title of honorary vice admiral of the Royal Navy, which he has owned since 2015. He must also relinquish his title as Colonel of the Grenadier Guards, obtained in 2017.
What is Andrew accused of?
On January 12, Judge Lewis Kaplan decided that the favorite son of Queen Elizabeth II will indeed be tried in the Epstein case. As a reminder, Prince Andrew is accused of sexual assault by Virginia Giuffre. Facts that would have been committed when the complainant was a minor, and with the help of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. These sexual relations allegedly happened in three different places: in London, New York and in the Virgin Islands, where Epstein owned property. In this trial, Prince Andrew will not be able to count on the financial assistance of Queen Elizabeth II. Prince Charles’ brother must now find the necessary funds to ensure his defense, which promises to be very salty.