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One day after a judge denied Prince Andrew’s request to dismiss Virginia Giuffre’s lawsuit, Buckingham Palace released a statement regarding the Duke of York, 61.
“With The Queen‘s approval and agreement, The Duke of York’s military affiliations and Royal patronages have been returned to The Queen,” the palace announced on Jan. 13. “The Duke of York will continue not to undertake any public duties and is defending this case as a private citizen.”
According to BBC, a source said that the Prince’s roles will be redistributed to other members of the royal family. The source added that Andrew will also no longer use the style “His Royal Highness” in any official capacity.
Virginia alleges that “Jeffrey Epstein and others trafficked her to Prince Andrew who took advantage of the situation by sexually abusing her when she was under the age of eighteen,” per court documents. Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice’s father denies the allegations.
Prince Andrew announced in November of 2019 that he was stepping back from public duties for the foreseeable future. “It has become clear to me over the last few days that the circumstances relating to my former association with Jeffrey Epstein has become a major disruption to my family’s work and the valuable work going on in the many organisations and charities that I am proud to support. Therefore, I have asked Her Majesty if I may step back from public duties for the foreseeable future, and she has given her permission,” the Duke of York said in a statement at the time.
“I continue to unequivocally regret my ill-judged association with Jeffrey Epstein. His suicide has left many unanswered questions, particularly for his victims, and I deeply sympathise with everyone who has been affected and wants some form of closure,” Andrew continued. “I can only hope that, in time, they will be able to rebuild their lives. Of course, I am willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency with their investigations, if required.”