Prince Andrew issues statement after Queen Elizabeth strips him of royal and military titles

Queen Elizabeth on Thursday stripped her son Prince Andrew of all his honorary military titles and royal roles after a US judge on Wednesday refused to dismiss a civil case against him. 

Buckingham Palace, in a brief statement on Thursday, said: “with the queen’s approval and agreement, the Duke of York’s military affiliations and royal patronages have been returned to the queen. The Duke of York will continue not to undertake any public duties and is defending this case as a private citizen.”

Hours later, Prince Andrew released a statement which read, "With the Queen's approval and agreement, The Duke of York's military affiliations and Royal patronages have been returned to The Queen.

The Duke of York will continue not to undertake public duties and is defending this case as a private citizen."

According a royal correspondent Richard Palmer,  "It’s the end of the road for Andrew in terms of his official life as a royal. His royal roles have been handed back immediately and will never be returned to him. They will be redistributed to other members of the family.

Citing a source close to Andrew, the reporter said he will fight on in the court case and his legal team were unsurprised by Judge Kaplan’s ruling. The source says: “This is a marathon not a sprint and the Duke will continue to defend himself against these claims.”