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Mark Cuthbert / UK Press via Getty Images
- Prince Andrew of the UK will face a sexual assault lawsuit as a private citizen without RHS status.
- Public figures have asked why Andrew’s “prince” and “duke” titles have not been removed.
- It would take an act of Parliament followed by royal assent, a royal expert told Insider.
- For more stories, go to www.BusinessInsider.co.za.
Prince Andrew of the United Kingdom will face charges of sexual assault as a private citizen, Buckingham Palace announced on Thursday.
“With the Queen’s approval and agreement, the military affiliations and royal sponsorship of the Duke of York have been returned to the Queen,” a spokesman for Buckingham Palace said in a statement to Insider. “The Duke of York will continue to take on no public duties and is defending this case as a private citizen.”
The prince is currently facing a legal battle against Virginia Giuffre Roberts, who filed a lawsuit in August 2021 accusing him of sexual assault. Giuffre alleged that Jeffrey Epstein forced her to have sex with Andrew in her mansion in New York, London, and on the private island of Epstein in the US Virgin Islands in 2001 when she was 17 years old.
A spokesman for the palace told Insider in 2019 that he “flatly denies that the Duke of York had any form of contact or sexual intercourse with Virginia Roberts.”
Andrew will no longer use his official RHS title, a royal source told Insider on Thursday. But some public figures wonder why he can still use his other royal titles, which include “Prince” and “Duke of York.”
“If they’ve stripped him of his title, why is everyone still calling him Prince Andrew instead of Andrew?” Jake Shields, a former UFC / MMA fighter wrote on Twitter.
“Prince Andrew can’t be Duke of York yet. If the queen is going to strip him of something, he should be stripped of everything for the same reasons,” said Dr. Shola, author and activist for women’s rights. Mos-Shogbamimu. wrote on Twitter. “The loss of SAR does not cover it; after all, the royal family caused Diana to lose her SAR status and had to fight for the title of Princess of Wales.”
However, Buckingham Palace has not removed its royal titles because it cannot, not without the British Parliament. Doing so would be a complex process, according to Marlene Koenig, a royal historian and expert on British and European royalty.
The Queen cannot remove Andrew’s titles without Parliament
As the Queen’s son, Andrew was born with his SAR title and the title of Prince in 1960. He was named Duke of York after his marriage to Sarah Ferguson in 1986, The Guardian reported. Ferguson retained her title of Duchess of York when they divorced a decade later.
Koenig told Insider that “an act of Parliament followed by a royal sanction” would be needed to remove these titles.
He said Parliament could pass a bill similar to the Title Deprivation Act of 1917, which was introduced during World War I to deprive “royal enemies” of retaining their titles.
The royal sanction is when the queen agrees to pass a bill, turning it into law. This is considered a formality, as Britain is a constitutional monarchy and the royals have no legal powers.
However, Koenig believes that this step depends on the outcome of Giuffre’s lawsuit.
“If the verdict is in Virginia’s favor, I think there will be more degradation for Andrew, but, and that’s a big deal, but I don’t think this case will go to trial because I don’t think Andrew wants to come. Koenig said.
Royal commentator Christopher Warwick told Sky News that the palace is unlikely to support the removal of the title because “it would not cover Andrew or the monarchy in glory,” page Six reports.
As Samantha Grindell of Insider previously reported, the royal family appears to be on a “charm offensive,” sharing family photos and interacting with the press in hopes of positive coverage to distance themselves from the legal battle. of Andrew.
Representatives from Buckingham Palace and Prince Andrew did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.