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Prince Andrew loses royal patronages and military titles
In an official statement, Buckingham Palace announced that Prince Andrew has been stripped of his royal patronages and military titles.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">A statement from Buckingham Palace regarding The Duke of York: <a href="https://t.co/OCeSqzCP38">pic.twitter.com/OCeSqzCP38</a></p>— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) <a href="https://twitter.com/RoyalFamily/status/1481674049310896129?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 13, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Most members of England’s royal family do not actively use surnames. However, that will no longer be the case for Prince Andrew as the BBC reported Andrew will no longer be addressed as “His Royal Highness,” in an official capacity.
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The Queen’s second son formerly held 230 patronages. This is when a member of the Royal Family lends their name in support of an organization, or as a benefactor to aid in public recognition. These can range from golf clubs to non-profits they choose to be associated with.
Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein
The decision occurred shortly after Andrew’s unsuccessful attempt to have a case against him thrown out by an American court. Virginia Giuffre (formerly Virginia Roberts) claims that she was “loaned out” to powerful men by Jeffrey Epstein. Andrew claimed he never met Giuffre, but Giuffre was able to produce a picture of her with Andrew.
In 2009, Epstein paid Giuffre a $500,000 settlement. Andrew’s legal team claimed the terms of that deal should protect him from being sued. However, a federal judge disagreed, and ruled the case would continue. Andrew maintains the charges against him are false.
Reports show when Giuffre was minor, she had a job as a locker room attendant at the famous Mar-a-Lago resort. That is when she claims she first met Epstein’s partner, Ghislaine Maxwell.
Giuffre claims that after opening up about years of physical and sexual abuse she suffered as a child, Epstein and Maxwell were able to manipulate and abuse her.
Royal punishment?
Now that Prince Andrew’s roles and duties have been returned to the Queen, they will soon be redistributed to other members of the Royal Family. That means the roles will not be returned, even if Andrew is found not guilty.
Furthermore, announcing the former duke of York will be “defending this case as a private citizen” is seen as the Royal Family distancing themselves from a scandal that has long been a punching bag for opposition.
Pomp and Circumstance
Andrew has long held dozens of military titles. These are mostly ceremonial posts but carry heavy tradition. The titles Andrew has lost include: Colonel of the Grenadier Guards, Honorary air commodore of RAF Lossiemouth, Royal colonel of the Royal Highland Fusiliers and many others.
Consequently, he has also lost many overseas honorific titles. Such as Colonel-in-chief of The Royal Highland Fusiliers Of Canada and Colonel-in-chief of the Royal New Zealand Army Logistic Regiment.
Nevertheless, the palace confirmed he will still retain his service rank of Vice-Admiral. Andrew spent 22 years in the Royal Navy and was scheduled to be promoted to Admiral on his 60th birthday in 2020. However, that was postponed in November 2019 when he stepped down from public duties.
