Queen Elizabeth Told Prince Andrew To His Face That He Will No Longer Be Known As His Royal Highness: Report
Queen Elizabeth told Prince Andrew to his face that he will no longer be known as His Royal Highness, The Post reported on Thursday, January 13.
According to the outlet, the monarch gave Andrew, who is being sued by Virginia Roberts for allegedly raping her when she was 17 years old, the bad news at Windsor Castle.
Later that day, the big announcement was made. "With The Queen's approval and agreement, The Duke of York’s military affiliations and Royal patronages have been returned to The Queen," Buckingham Palace said in a statement. "The Duke of York will continue not to undertake any public duties and is defending this case as a private citizen."
The only other members of the royal family to be stripped of their titles include Sarah Ferguson and Princess Diana after they got divorced from Prince Andrew and Prince Charles, respectively. Additionally, when Meghan Markle and Prince Harry decided to move to the U.S., they no longer held the titles.
At the time, the palace said: “While all are saddened by their decision, The Duke and Duchess remain much loved members of the family.”
This time around, the Queen's harsh tone was noticeably. “The difference between the statement that the Queen made about Harry and Meghan and Andrew could not be more telling," a royal source said. “There was nothing from the Queen about her sadness or dismay, nothing emotional at all. It was so cutting.”
Going forward, it looks like Andrew will not go down with a fight. “Given the robustness with which Judge Kaplan greeted [the] arguments, we are unsurprised by the ruling. However, it was not a judgement on 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 source said of what the future holds.
The trial will reportedly occur between September and December.
