Andrew stripped of all HRH status

THE Duke of York’s status as a member of the royal family is in tatters after the Queen stripped him of his honorary military roles and he gave up his HRH style in a dramatic fallout from his civil sex case.

The move is a humiliation for Andrew and comes after the lawsuit against him took a major step forward on Wednesday when a judge threw out the duke’s motion to dismiss the sexual assault case and ruled it can go to trial.

Andrew, who was born an HRH, will not use it in any official capacity, a royal source said, and the duke has also been stripped of his remaining royal patronages.

The decision represents the duke’s complete removal from official royal life, and an attempt to distance the monarchy from Andrew, who was once second in line to the throne as the spare to the heir, in the year of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

It paves the way for Andrew to seek an out-of-court settlement with Ms Giuffre without the fear of his decision – likely to be viewed unfavourably by the public – being associated with the royal family.

The development comes after more than 150 veterans joined forces to express their outrage, writing to the

Queen to demand the duke’s removal from the honorary military positions, including honorary air commodore of RAF Lossiemouth;.

Lieutenant Stuart Hunt, 52, who served in the 1st Royal Tank Regiment and signed the letter, branded the matter an “unsavoury business” and told the PA news agency: “Whether he’s guilty or not, he has brought things into disrepute. He’s not fit to serve in an honorary rank. He has foregone that right by getting into this sort of situation.”

A royal source said the issue had been widely discussed with the royal family, making it likely the Prince of Wales and Duke of Cambridge were involved in crisis talks.

The Queen has taken away the Duke of York’s remaining patronages and removed his privileges as a royal