NEW YORK (1010 WINS/AP) -- Britain’s Prince Andrew was stripped of his military titles and charities on Thursday, a day after a U.S. judge in New York ruled a lawsuit alleging he sexually abused a woman when she was 17 could move forward.
Andrew's military affiliations and royal patronages were returned to Queen Elizabeth II with her “approval and agreement,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement.
“The Duke of York will continue not to undertake any public duties and is defending this case as a private citizen,” the statement continued.
On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan rejected an argument by Andrew’s lawyers that Virginia Giuffre’s lawsuit should be thrown out at an early stage because of an old legal settlement she had with Jeffrey Epstein, the financier she claims set up sexual encounters with the prince.
Kaplan said the $500,000 settlement between Epstein and Giuffre didn’t involve the prince and didn’t bar a suit against him now.
Giuffre sued the 61-year-old Andrew in August, saying she was coerced into sexual encounters with him in 2001 by Epstein and his longtime companion, Ghislaine Maxwell. Giuffre said she was sexually abused by Andrew at Maxwell’s London home, at Epstein’s Manhattan mansion and his estate in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Andrew's lawyers had said the lawsuit lacked specificity and was disqualified by the deal she reached in 2009 with lawyers for Epstein. They also attacked Giuffre's credibility and motives, saying in October that the lawsuit was aimed at achieving "another payday at his expense and at the expense of those closest to him.”
While Andrew denies the allegations, Buckingham Palace will want him to settle the case so Queen Elizabeth II can move on without more sordid headlines that weaken the monarchy and taint every member of the royal family, Mark Stephens, a specialist in international law at Howard Kennedy in London, told the Associated Press.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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