Britain's Prince Andrew has renounced his military affiliations and royal patronages, Buckingham Palace said Thursday.
The move comes after Andrew's lawyers failed to persuade a U.S. judge to dismiss a civil lawsuit against him that accuses him of sexual abuse.
"With The Queen's approval and agreement, The Duke of York’s military affiliations and Royal patronages have been returned to The Queen," Buckingham Palace said in a statement.
The statement was carefully worded to avoid suggesting the Queen had demanded the move.
"The Duke of York will continue not to undertake any public duties and is defending this case as a private citizen."
A royal source said Andrew would no longer use the title 'His Royal Highness’ in any official capacity and his other roles would be distributed among other members of the Royal family. They would not return to Prince Andrew.Seasoned palace watchers said Andrew was treated the way way as Harry and Meghan.
"The removal of titles and patronages means the institution can now legitimately say it is not involved," dailymail.co.uk quotes a source as saying. "It was a ruthless and swift decision which will have been recommended by the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cambridge and sanctioned by the Queen."
Other sources told the British news organizatio that the decision would have "pained" the Queen because Andrew has long been considered her "favorite" child.