Britain’s Prince Andrew faces calls to pay for his own security and relinquish his dukedom after being stripped of his military affiliations and royal patronages in the fallout over the civil sexual assault case against him.
The calls come as his accuser, Virginia Giuffre, welcomed the New York court ruling that paved the way for her lawsuit against Prince Andrew to proceed to trial, pledging to “continue to expose the truth.”
Prince Charles — who, with Prince William, was reportedly key to Queen Elizabeth II making her decision on Prince Andrew’s future — ignored questions about his brother while on an engagement in Scotland.
Photo: AFP
With Prince Andrew prevented from using his His Royal Higness (HRH) style in any official capacity and banned from royal duties, calls are growing for him to lose his taxpayer-funded Scotland Yard security and his title Duke of York.
Labour lawmaker Rachael Maskell wrote on Twitter that it was “untenable” for Prince Andrew to cling on to his title “another day longer,” while Darryl Smalley, a senior member of City of York council, has launched a campaign to strip him of his dukedom.
British Minister of State for Security and Borders Damian Hinds refused to confirm whether taxpayers would continue to fund Prince Andrew’s security arrangements.
“Our security forces, the police and others, do what they judge is necessary to protect our country, to protect people in it,” he told LBC radio station.
It is a “longstanding and I think correct principle that we don’t talk about who and how in particular,” he added.
Prince Andrew has made it clear that he intends to continue to fight to clear his name over allegations made by Giuffre, 38, that she was forced into having sex with him when she was 17 and had been trafficked by the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
He denies the allegations.
“This is a marathon not a sprint, and the duke will continue to defend himself against these claims,” a source close to the duke said on Thursday.
As a senior royal, he has round-the-clock Scotland Yard protection.
Security costs are never discussed by Buckingham Palace or the Metropolitan Police, but it has reportedly been estimated that the annual cost to the taxpayer of guarding Prince Andrew could be up to £2 million (US$2.74 million).
Graham Smith, chief executive officer of the campaign group Republic, questioned whether taxpayers should fund security for any royals except the head of state.
Of Prince Andrew, he said: “Given that he’s no longer in any real sense a member of the royal household it does make sense he pays for his own security.”
“[Prince Andrew] has, like Harry, kept his HRH even if he is not using it, but that means he still qualifies to spend public money and qualifies for security. He is no longer carrying out royal duties, so should have the HRH taken away along with his security,” former British Secretary of State for the Home Office and royal author Norman Baker said.
Baker also called for him to have his dukedom revoked.
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