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Buckingham Palace has announced that Prince Andrew has been stripped of his military titles and royal patronages. A court in New York has ruled that a civil case, accusing the Queen's second son of sexually assaulting a teenage girl in 2001, could go ahead, clearing the path for a potential trial later this year. The Prince has consistently denied the allegations. More than 150 veterans had written to the Queen, calling for Andrew to be removed from his honorary military positions.

Peter Hunt, the ´óÏó´«Ã½'s former Royal correspondent, said the palace had acted quickly after the court's announcement, and that this was a sign it was determined to isolate him and distance the House of Windsor from him.

"He's a non-royal royal. The speed and brutality of it is an indication of just how much he was toxifying the Windsor brand."

Photo: Prince Andrew, Duke of York, wearing military uniform in his role as colonel of the Grenadier Guards, 2019 Credit: EPA