Prince Andrew could be asked to drop his royal Duke of York title if he loses an impending civil lawsuit, it has been reported.
Pressure on the British royal has intensified following the conviction last week of Ghislaine Maxwell over sex trafficking charges, with defence sources suggesting he could lose his honorary military titles too.
Plans are said to have been drawn up by the royal household in which the 61-year-old prince would also be asked to surrender his charity ties and be sent into a form of internal exile.
He is facing litigation from Virginia Giuffre who claims she was sexually abused by Queen Elizabeth II’s son when she was 17 and is seeking punitive damages in the US. Prince Andrew strongly denies the allegations.
But planning is now taking place to protect the monarchy in the event Ms Giuffre, who was a victim of the underage abuser Jeffrey Epstein, wins the litigation.
“If he loses the case, the question is: what do you do with him?” a royal source is quoted by The Sunday Times as saying. “You can’t make him resign like you would a normal person but he would be asked to put his dukedom into abeyance.”
The suggestion would be that Prince Andrew is asked to stop using his Duke of York title in a similar request to that made to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex when they ceased to be working members of the royal family. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were not stripped of their “HRH” titles, but were asked not to use them.
It is understood the queen would be reluctant to strip her second son of the title that was held by her father, King George VI, before he was crowned.
The duke would also face calls to relinquish his honorary military positions — he is colonel-in-chief of nine military units, regiments and corps. It is understood that senior commanders believe that the prince retaining the honorary titles would be untenable if he loses the case.
Any decision will again depend on the queen’s agreement however there is unlikely to be any objection from the armed forces. Again, it would be a move similar to that made for Prince Harry who gave up his military titles after moving to the US when he ended his royal duties.
The Duke of York’s only hope of retaining both his title and military positions is that Ms Giuffre’s case is thrown out of court when proceedings begin in New York on Tuesday.
His lawyers will argue that a private settlement reached between Ms Giuffre and Epstein in 2009, after she sued him for years of abuse, protects associates of the deceased financier from being targeted in civil proceedings.
The lawyers will also claim the US court has no jurisdiction, on the grounds that Giuffre, 38, lives in Australia.
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
LOVE%20AGAIN
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Jim%20Strouse%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStars%3A%20Priyanka%20Chopra%20Jonas%2C%20Sam%20Heughan%2C%20Celine%20Dion%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%202%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
Winners
Best Men's Player of the Year: Kylian Mbappe (PSG)
Maradona Award for Best Goal Scorer of the Year: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
TikTok Fans’ Player of the Year: Robert Lewandowski
Top Goal Scorer of All Time: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
Best Women's Player of the Year: Alexia Putellas (Barcelona)
Best Men's Club of the Year: Chelsea
Best Women's Club of the Year: Barcelona
Best Defender of the Year: Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus/Italy)
Best Goalkeeper of the Year: Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG/Italy)
Best Coach of the Year: Roberto Mancini (Italy)
Best National Team of the Year: Italy
Best Agent of the Year: Federico Pastorello
Best Sporting Director of the Year: Txiki Begiristain (Manchester City)
Player Career Award: Ronaldinho
SHADOWS%20AND%20LIGHT%3A%20THE%20EXTRAORDINARY%20LIFE%20OF%20JAMES%20MCBEY
%3Cp%3EAuthor%3A%20Alasdair%20Soussi%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EPages%3A%20300%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EPublisher%3A%20Scotland%20Street%20Press%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EAvailable%3A%20December%201%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”