Prince Andrew quits social media after losing Royal titles amid sexual assault case

Queen Elizabeth’s son, Prince Andrew, has deleted his social media accounts as his legal battle to fight a sexual assault lawsuit filed against him in the US continues. Last week, the Queen had stripped the Duke of York of his honorary military affiliations and royal patronages, and he agreed not to use his royal style HRH in any official capacity. Now, on Tuesday, his Twitter account @thedukeofyork disappeared, and the next day his Facebook and Instagram accounts were also deactivated. Even his YouTube page is no longer accessible.

“The changes have been made to reflect the recent statement from Buckingham Palace regarding The Duke of York,” a source told the Daily Mail.

Additionally, the Royal aides have also updated the official website of the British monarchy as Buckingham Palace seeks to distance itself from the Duke’s legal battle. The Prince still appears under the section titled Members of the Royal Family, however, the list of his military affiliations and patronages has been removed. His roles will now be shared among other members of the royal family, ​​the Buckingham Palace had announced adding that the decision was made between senior family members. 

The website also includes details of the Queen’s statement: “In January 2022, Buckingham Palace made a statement announcing that, with the Queen’s approval and agreement, the Duke of York’s military affiliations and Royal patronages have been returned to the Queen, and the Duke will continue to not carry out public duties.”

As per the official website, Andrew’s official duties are listed in the past tense, such as attending trooping the colour and his diamond jubilee tour to India on behalf of the monarch. The website states: “An important part of the Duke of York’s role was to support the Queen’s work as head of state.”

Lawsuit against Prince Andrew

It is to mention that this comes after a US judge said that Prince Andrew would have to face a civil trial on sex abuse allegations, meaning he will be facing the trial just like any other normal citizen without being shielded by his Royal family. All of this is because of the allegations brought by Virginia Giuffre, who has said that she went from being abused by the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein to being “passed around like a platter of fruit" among his other influential associates, including the Duke of York. 

Giuffre filed a civil case against the Prince alleging that he sexually abused her three times at UK socialite Ghislaine Maxwell’s London home followed by at Epstein’s homes in Manhattan and Little St James in the Virgin Islands. However, Prince Andrew told BBC Newsnight in 2019 that he had no recollection of ever meeting Giuffre and said that her alleged sexual abuse in the US and UK by him “didn’t happen”. But the trial is still expected to have major ramifications for Buckingham Palace as the long-time running allegations against the 61-year-old Prince would be tested in court after significantly tarnishing his public image.

(Image: AP)