The Duke of York’s military titles and royal patronages have been returned to the Queen, Buckingham Palace has announced.

Prince Andrew will also stop using the style His Royal Highness in an official capacity, a royal source added.

The announcement comes the day after a judge ruled a sexual abuse civil lawsuit against the Queen’s son could proceed in New York.

Virginia Giuffre claims Andrew’s pal Jeffrey Epstein forced her to have sex with the royal on three occasions when she was 17.

The Duke of York vehemently denies the allegations.

A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: “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.

A royal source said: “All of The Duke’s roles have been handed back to The Queen with immediate effect for redistribution to other Members of the Royal Family – will not return to The Duke of York.

“The Duke of York will no longer use the style ‘His Royal Highness’ in any official capacity.”

It comes after a US judge ruled on Wednesday that the case against Prince Andrew could proceed despite his attempts to have the civil case thrown out before trial.

A royal source said: “All of The Duke’s roles have been handed back to The Queen with immediate effect for redistribution to other Members of the Royal Family – will not return to The Duke of York.

“The Duke of York will no longer use the style ‘His Royal Highness’ in any official capacity.”

It comes after a US judge ruled on Wednesday that the case against Prince Andrew could proceed despite his attempts to have the civil case thrown out before trial.

The Duke, who lives at the Queen’s Royal Lodge in Berkshire, is currently in the process of selling his £17 million Swiss chalet.

Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, who were recently pictured on holiday in Switzerland, are believed to be fully behind their dad.

The royal sisters, the Queen’s granddaughters, have stayed well out of the drama surrounding their father but are reportedly “extremely distressed” by his legal woes.

However, other royals are believed to have rallied around the pair, who a source said feels their father “doesn’t deserve what is happening to him”.

"Exciting news! TheNigeriaLawyer is now on WhatsApp Channels 🚀 Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest legal insights!" Click here! ....................................................................................................................... Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material and other digital content on this website, in whole or in part, without express and written permission from TheNigeriaLawyer, is strictly prohibited _________________________________________________________________ [Register Now] ILA Nigeria Branch Marks 10 Years With Infrastructure Financing As Theme For 7th Annual Conference The International Law Association - Nigeria Branch 7th annual conference on public-private partnerships for sustainable infrastructure financing, April 4-5 in Abuja. Details: https://ilanigeria.org.ng/conference _________________________________________________________________

NIALS' Compendia Series: Your One-Stop Solution For Navigating Nigerian Laws (2004-2023)

Email: info@nials.edu.ng, tugomak@yahoo.co.uk, Contact: For Inquiry and information, kindly contact, NIALS Director of Marketing: +2348074128732, +2348100363602.