The Duke of York has dropped his HRH style, which means he will no longer be able to use it in any official capacity.
The development will also see Prince Andrew, Queen Elizabeth II’s third child, stripped of his military titles and royal patronages in January.
It came after a US judge threw out the Duke’s motion to dismiss a sexual assault case launched against him by Virginia Giuffre and ruled it could go to trial. On 15 February it was revealed that Ms Giuffre and the Duke had reached an out-of-court settlement.
Giuffre was suing Andrew for allegedly sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager and claims she was trafficked by the Duke’s friend and convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
Andrew vehemently denied the allegations and claimed he never met Giuffre at all.
But the Queen’s decision came as a new blow to his status as a member of the royal family and will see him effectively removed from official royal life in order to limit the reputational damage his case could cause to the monarchy.
In a statement, Buckingham Palace 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.”
But what does the removal of Andrew’s HRH style mean in the line of succession? Here’s everything you need to know.
Is Prince Andrew still a prince?
Yes. Andrew was born a prince and a HRH, but he can no longer use his HRH style in any official capacity.
His dukedom was gifted to him by his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, on his wedding day. She is unlikely to remove it at this stage, if at any, reported the PA News Agency.
However, it is unclear how he will be addressed going forward.
Is Prince Andrew still in line to the throne?
Yes, Andrew remains in line to the throne despite being stripped of his HRH style and honorary military roles.
The Duke is still ninth in the line of succession to the throne.
First in line to the throne is Prince Charles, followed by Prince William. William’s three children come after him, starting with George, Charlotte, and then Louis.
The Duke of Sussex is next in line, followed by his son Archie and his daughter Lilibet. Andrew is next in line after Lilibet.
Will Prince Andrew carry out public duties?
No, Andrew will no longer carry out any public duties. He had already stepped back from these in November 2019 and was not even pictured in the publicly released photographs marking his daughter Princess Beatrice’s wedding in 2020.
He will likely be absent from the royal festivities planned for the Queen’s four-day Jubilee weekend this year, during which Trooping the Colour will take place.
He usually attends the parade in his role as Colonel of the Grenadier Guards, but has not done so in the past two years due to disruption from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Former BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt wrote in The Spectator: “This is what a sacking looks like when you’re ninth in line to the British throne.
“No more appearances on the Buckingham Palace balcony; riding horseback during Trooping the Colour; or laying a wreath at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday.”
It was unclear if Andrew would attend a thanksgiving service in memory of the Duke of Edinburgh scheduled in the spring.
The royal family occasion is set to take place in Westminster Abbey and may be televised, but Buckingham Palace declined to comment on whether the Duke would attend.
