He will defend himself in this case “as a private citizen”. Prince Andrew has renounced his military titles and association sponsorships, Buckingham Palace announced on Thursday (January 13th). “With the Queen’s consent and approval, the Duke of York’s military affiliations and royal patronages have been returned to the Queen. The Duke of York will continue not to hold public office”, the palace said in a statement.

A statement from Buckingham Palace regarding The Duke of York: pic.twitter.com/OCeSqzCP38

— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) January 13, 2022

This decision comes the day after the decision of a New York judge, who validated a complaint of Virginia Giuffré. This American citizen accuses Prince Andrew of having sexually assaulted her three times when she was a minor and victim of sex trafficking by businessman Jeffrey Epstein.

In this case, the prince is not prosecuted in criminal proceedings. He has always vigorously rejected the American’s accusations. If all of Andrew’s appeals fail, a civil lawsuit could be held “between September and December” 2022, Judge Lewis Kaplan said in the fall of 2021.