Prince Andrew Royal patronages: What will Prince Andrew be called now?

A statement from Buckingham Palace was made public on Thursday January 13th.
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In a statement, Buckingham Palace announced that: “With the Queen’s approval and agreement, The Duke of York’s military affiliations and Royal patronages have been returned to the Queen.”

This came later the same day that over 150 Royal Navy, RAG, and Army veterans wrote to the Queen with a petition to strip the Duke of York of his ranks and titles within the armed forces.

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This decision was taken in light of the fallout from the ongoing civil sexual assault case against the Duke of York.

A US judge ruled against a dismissal on January 12th, meaning that the civil lawsuit could continue.

Sources within the Palace stated that the decision to strip the Duke of York of his Royal patronages was a difficult one for the Queen and involved several members of the Royal family, likely including the Prince of Wales and Andrew himself.

Here’s what the decision will mean for the Duke of York and what he will now be called.

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Queen strips roles from Prince Andrew as he faces sex case trial in the US
Prince Andrew is being sued in a court in the US over alleged sexual abuse . Photo: Tristan Fewings/Getty Images.Prince Andrew is being sued in a court in the US over alleged sexual abuse . Photo: Tristan Fewings/Getty Images.
Prince Andrew is being sued in a court in the US over alleged sexual abuse . Photo: Tristan Fewings/Getty Images.

What will Prince Andrew be called now?

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At birth, Andrew became a Prince and a HRH, but he has now agreed to no longer his HRH style in a public capacity.

The wording of the announcement, stating that the titles “have been returned to the Queen” suggests that this is something Andrew agreed to, rather than them being stripped from him.The statement from the Palace also stated that "the Duke of York will continue not to undertake any public duties and is defending this case as a private citizen."

This highlights further distance from the Royal family.

The Duke of York's military affiliations and Royal patronages have been returned to The Queen. Photo by Marty Melville/Getty Images.The Duke of York's military affiliations and Royal patronages have been returned to The Queen. Photo by Marty Melville/Getty Images.
The Duke of York's military affiliations and Royal patronages have been returned to The Queen. Photo by Marty Melville/Getty Images.

The military titles and affiliations will be handed out to other members of the Royal family, signifying that this is a permanent change.

After 22 years in the Royal Navy, these military roles included:

- Colonel of the Grenadier Guards

- Deputy colonel-in-chief of the Royal Lancers

- Colonel-in-chief of the Royal Irish Regiment

- Colonel-in-chief of the Yorkshire Regiment

- Colonel-in-chief of the Small Arms School Corps

- Royal colonel of the Royal Highland Fusiliers

- Honorary air commodore of RAF Lossiemouth

- Commodore-in-chief of the Fleet Air Arm

Will Andrew still be called Prince?

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The Duke of York is still technically a prince, as that was a title given to him at birth and would likely require parliamentary action to change.

However, he will not use his HRH title in public anymore.

Is Prince Andrew still Duke of York?

If we look at the example of Harry and Meghan, who also returned their titles to the Queen, they are still called the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, so this gives us some indication of what the Duke of York may be known as moving for.

The Royal styles were similarly removed from the Duke of York’s ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, in 1996 when she divorced him and from the lates Princess Diana when she divorced the Prince of Wales.

However, this is still yet to be confirmed by Buckingham Palace.

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