The Queen has stripped Prince Andrew’s military affiliations and Royal patronages, Buckingham Palace has confirmed.

It comes the day after it was confirmed the Duke of York will face a civil sex case trial after a US judge dismissed a motion by Andrew’s legal team to have the lawsuit thrown out.

Virginia Giuffre is suing the Duke of York for alleged sexual assault when she was a teenager

Ms Giuffre is seeking unspecified damages, but there is speculation the sum could be in the millions of dollars.

She claims she was trafficked by disgraced financier Epstein to have sex with Andrew when she was aged 17 and a minor under US law.

US judge Lewis Kaplan refused to dismiss the case after hearing cases from lawyers of both the Duke and Virginia Giuffre.

Buckingham Palace release Duke of York statement

 

 

The Palace said in a statement: “With the Queen’s approval and agreement, the Duke of York’s military affiliations and Royal patronages have been returned to the Queen.

“The Duke of York will continue not to undertake any public duties and is defending this case as a private citizen.”