Now Andrew quits Navy’s prestigious ‘In & Out’ Club
EMBATTLED Prince Andrew has resigned from the prestigious Naval and Military Club, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.
The 62-year-old Duke of York had been a member of the institution in St James’s, Central London, since his time in the Royal Navy.
Well-placed sources say the move will be a particular blow, given that his late father had served as the club’s president.
It comes as Andrew continues his withdrawal from public life after having a sexual assault case filed against him by Virginia Giuffre, which he denied.
Since he handed back all his patronages to the Queen in January,
his membership of the club, known as the In & Out, has quietly lapsed. It is thought he stepped down voluntarily as part of his decision to cut ties with organisations in the wake of his £12million settlement with Ms Giuffre, previously known as Roberts.
A source said: ‘The Duke’s name remained on the members’ list at the In & Out for several months, even after he stepped down as a member of the Royal Family, but in recent days his name has disappeared from the books.’
The club was founded in 1862 for ‘gentlemen of the British Armed Forces’, but now accepts female members and people who have not served in the Forces at all.
In 2012, Prince Philip marched members around St James’s Square to mark the club’s 150th anniversary. The club threw a lavish party last June to mark what would have been Philip’s 100th birthday.
The In & Out describes itself as a ‘blended, eclectic mix’ of like-minded people from a ‘wide range of backgrounds’. The club takes its nickname from the two grand pillars at its entrance, one of which reads ‘In’ while the other is labelled ‘Out’.
Meanwhile, it is also understood that Andrew, who served in the 1982 Falklands War as a helicopter pilot, will have no formal role in marking the 40th anniversary of the conflict in the coming months.
A Royal source said: ‘He won’t be hosting so much as a barbecue. It’s a shame for him in some ways. The Falklands was an important part of his life.’