'Underage Sexual Assault' British Prince Andrew Stripped of Military Titles

Tried as a Civilian... Cannot Use the Title Jeonha

Prince Andrew, the second son of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
[Photo by Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] Prince Andrew, the second son of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, who is facing a civil trial on charges of sexually assaulting a minor, has been stripped of his military titles and other honors.

On the 13th (local time), the British royal family announced in a statement, "With the Queen's approval and consent, Prince Andrew's military titles and royal patronages have been returned to the Queen." Accordingly, Prince Andrew will no longer perform any official duties and will stand trial as a private citizen. He will also no longer be allowed to use the title "His Royal Highness" (HRH) in official settings.

A royal source told the BBC, "All of Prince Andrew's roles have been immediately returned to the Queen," adding, "They will be redistributed to other members of the royal family in the future." The source further explained, "Like Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan Markle, who have stepped back from the royal family, he will retain the HRH title but will no longer be officially addressed by it."

This decision came ahead of the lawsuit regarding the charges of sexually assaulting a minor, which Prince Andrew has consistently denied. The day before, the U.S. Federal District Court in Manhattan, New York, decided not to accept Prince Andrew's request to dismiss the civil lawsuit.

Prince Andrew is accused of sexually assaulting Virginia Giuffre, an American woman who was a minor aged 17 at the time, multiple times in New York and London in 2001, along with U.S. billionaire Jeffrey Epstein. In the civil complaint filed with the New York Federal Court, Giuffre alleges that Prince Andrew sexually assaulted her without consent, knowing she was a minor and a victim of Epstein's sexual trafficking.

Since the scandal fully erupted in 2019, Prince Andrew has denied the allegations and ceased all official royal duties. He was also absent from the official photos released during the wedding of his eldest daughter, Princess Beatrice, the following year. Recently, he argued that the lawsuit against him should be dismissed because when Epstein paid Giuffre a settlement of $500,000 (approximately 600 million KRW) in 2009, there was also a release agreement covering other potential defendants.

It is reported that royal family members, including Prince Charles and Prince William, have had extensive and lengthy discussions on this matter. The Times explained, "This decision suggests that the Queen has finally lost patience with her second son, who was once called her most beloved child."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.