Will Prince Andrew be booted from royal family? How son's sex scandal affected the Queen
Prince Andrew was stripped of his military affiliations and royal patronages in January by his mother Queen Elizabeth II as he continues to fight a New York lawsuit accusing him of sexually abusing an underage girl while she was in thrall to sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein. In the recently filed legal papers, Prince Andrew demanded a 'trial by jury' and issued 41 denials, rejecting all allegations of wrongdoing and mentioning that he 'lacks sufficient information to admit or deny' other claims.
In her federal court lawsuit, Virginia Giuffre has claimed that she had sex with Prince Andrew multiple times at the direction of Ghislaine Maxwell when she was 17. Maxwell was convicted at a criminal trial for procuring underage girls to be sexually abused by Epstein. Andrew has denied Giuffre's allegations and has said that he does not recall ever meeting her.
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Prince Andrew PARTIED after being stripped of titles by Queen: Source
The official statement read, "With The Queen's approval and agreement, The Duke of York's military affiliations and Royal patronages have been returned to The Queen. The Duke of York will continue not to undertake any public duties and is defending this case as a private citizen."
A statement from Buckingham Palace regarding The Duke of York: pic.twitter.com/OCeSqzCP38
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) January 13, 2022
This decision was made after more than 150 Royal Navy, RAF and Army veterans wrote to the Queen, asking her to strip Prince Andrew of all his titles and ranks in the British Armed Forces. The letter read, "All of us have served our country and are proud to have done so. For that reason, we are particularly upset and angry that Prince Andrew remains a member of the armed forces and continues to hold military titles, positions and ranks, including that of Vice Admiral of the Royal Navy. Were this any other senior military officer it is inconceivable that he would still be in post. Officers of the British armed forces must adhere to the very highest standards of probity, honesty and honourable conduct. These are standards which Prince Andrew has fallen well short of. It is hard not to see, when senior officers are reportedly describing him as ‘toxic’, that he has brought the services he is associated with into disrepute. We are therefore asking that you take immediate steps to strip Prince Andrew of all his military ranks and titles and, if necessary, that he be dishonourably discharged. We understand that he is your son, but we write to you in your capacity as head of state and as Commander-in-Chief of the Army, Navy and Air Force. These steps could have been taken at any time in the past 11 years. Please do not leave it any longer."
Previously Prince Charles had demanded that his brother give up all duties for "the foreseeable future" during a royal meeting. "Prince Charles calmly read him the riot act and told him there was no way back for him in the near future," a royal source told The Sun. “Andrew thought he was being treated harshly as nothing has yet been proved against him, but he accepted the decision. He really had little choice," the source added.
"Andrew has always been the Queen's favourite son and he has never done anything wrong in her eyes," Princess Diana's butler Paul Burrell revealed in the documentary, 'The Royal Family at War.' A long-time friend told Daily Mail, "Ever since Andrew was little the Queen has always gone out of her way to help him and give him the benefit of the doubt. As a child, he could do no wrong in her eyes. It was very noticeable that Andrew was her favourite, and he still is." It is evident that the Queen is upset because of the allegations against her "favourite son," and has had a hard time taking any measures against him. External pressure has definitely been an important factor behind the decisions the royal family has taken against Prince Andrew.
