Prince Andrew
Buckingham Palace’s press service has officially announced that Andrew, Queen Elizabeth’s son, will be stripped of his military and royal patronage following allegations of sexual harassment. The royal family said in a statement on Thursday that the Duke of York had withdrawn all military ties, honors and royal patronage with the Queen’s approval, and that the prince had returned them to the Queen. The statement said Prince Andrew would no longer carry out public duties and that he might defend the case as a private citizen.
Virginia Gufrey, a human rights activist, has filed a lawsuit in federal court in Manhattan alleging that Prince Andrew raped her when she was 17 years old. This was followed by the court action removing the powers of the prince. But CNN reported that Prince Andrew had denied the allegations of sexual harassment.
A New York judge has rejected Andrew’s lawyers’ demand that the civil suit filed by Virginia Geoffrey be revoked. Prince Andrew’s defense comes following a sexual assault scandal involving US financier Epstein came to light. Epstein was a close friend of the prince. Virginia alleges that at the age of seventeen, Epstein forced himself to have sex with the prince. CNN reports that Andrew has strongly denied Virginia’s allegations.
This may put pressure on Andrew, Queen Elizabeth’s beloved son, as there will be a public hearing inviting global attention. Andrew had a close friendship with Jeffrey Epstein. In November 2019, Prince Andrew announced that he was relinquishing his royal duties immediately following the controversy. The release of a picture of the British prince and Epstein together in Central Park has caused further controversy. As a result, Andrew was forced to relinquish his trade invoice position in the United Kingdom.
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