The Queen banishes Prince Andrew from social media after stripping his HRH title

Prince Andrew, The Queen banishes Prince Andrew
(Image credit: Getty)

The Queen has banished Prince Andrew from using his social media by deleting his accounts just days after stripping him of his HRH title.

Prince Andrew's social media accounts have been deleted and the Queen has reflected the stripping of his HRH titles on the royal family's official website amid his ongoing US legal battle.

Virginia Giuffre, 38, is suing Andrew, 61, in the US for allegedly sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager. She claims she was trafficked by his friend Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted paedophile, to have sex with Andrew when she was 17 and a minor under US law. Andrew has denied the allegations.

Prince Andrew used to use the official Twitter handle @TheDukeOfYork but if anyone tries to click on it now, the handle leads to a blank page that states "the account doesn't exist".

His YouTube account is also no longer accessible and his once public Instagram account (hrhthedukeofyork) has since been made private but his Facebook page is still accessible, although it is expected to be removed too.

News that the Queen banishes Prince Andrew comes after it's claimed Prince Andrew had "verbally abusive" tantrums over his teddy bear collection and was said to be 'furious' after Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie's taxpayer-funded security is scrapped by Prince Charles.

Prince Andrew Twitter

(Image credit: Twitter)

Royal aides have also updated the British monarchy's official website, supporting reports that Buckingham Palace is seeking to distance itself from Andrew's legal battle.

While the prince still appears under the section titled Members of the Royal Family, the list of his military affiliations and patronages has been removed.

Meanwhile, Under the heading Supporting the Queen, Andrew’s official duties are listed in the past tense, such as attending trooping the colour and his diamond jubilee tour to India on behalf of the monarch. The website states, “An important part of the Duke of York’s role was to support the Queen’s work as head of state.”

News that the Queen banishes Prince Andrew from social media comes after Buckingham Palace announced last week that the roles would be shared out among other members of the royal family. The decision was made after discussion between senior family members.

Prince Andrew

(Image credit: Getty Images)

The Queen previously released a statement via Buckingham Palace and The Royal Family official Twitter which reads, 'In January 2022, Buckingham Palace made a statement announcing that, with the Queen’s approval and agreement, the Duke of York’s military affiliations and Royal patronages have been returned to the Queen, and the Duke will continue to not carry out public duties.'

This followed a previous statement in November 2019, where The Duke of York stepped back from his public duties for the foreseeable future.

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Prior to stepping back from public life, The Duke of York undertook a wide range of public work, with a strong economic and business focus.

Selina Maycock
Senior Family Writer

Selina is a Senior Family Writer for GoodtoKnow and has more than 16 years years of experience. She specialises in royal family news, including the latest activities of Prince George, Charlotte, Louis, Archie and Lilibet. She also covers the latest government, health and charity advice for families. Selina graduated from the University of Sheffield in 2006 with a degree in Journalism, and gained her NCTJ and NCE qualifications. During her career, she’s also written for Woman, Woman's Own, Woman&Home, and Woman's Weekly as well as Heat magazine, Bang Showbiz - and the Scunthorpe Telegraph. When she's not covering family news, you can find her exploring new countryside walking routes, catching up with friends over good food, or making memories (including award-winning scarecrows!)