London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jan 22, 2026

Prince Andrew: Which military roles has he lost - and what else could he be handing back?

Prince Andrew: Which military roles has he lost - and what else could he be handing back?

Prince Andrew has had his military titles and royal patronages taken away as a civil sexual assault court case against him in the US moves forward.
What has Buckingham Palace 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 palace said in a statement on Thursday.

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

The civil case has been brought by Virginia Giuffre, who claims Andrew "committed sexual assault and battery" upon her when she was a teenager.

Virginia Giuffre says she was 17 when she was trafficked to have sex with Prince Andrew - claims he denies.


Ms Giuffre alleges that she was trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein to have sex with Andrew when she was a minor under US law, claims strongly denied by the duke.

Andrew failed in a legal bid to get Ms Guiffre's case against him thrown out.

Which military roles are being handed back?


Following a 22-year career in the Royal Navy, Andrew held several honorary military titles.

These were suspended after he stepped back from public duties in 2019, but he had retained the roles, effectively leaving the affected regiments in limbo.

The positions he is now relinquishing are:

• Colonel of the Grenadier Guards

• Royal colonel of the Royal Highland Fusiliers

• Colonel-in-chief of the Royal Highland Fusiliers, (Canada)

• Colonel-in-chief of the Yorkshire Regiment

The Duke of York, pictured in 2003, was colonel-in-chief of the Royal Irish Regiment


• Colonel-in-chief of the Royal Lancers

• Colonel-in-chief of the Small Arms School Corps

• Colonel-in-chief of the Royal Irish Regiment

• Colonel-in-chief of the Princess Louise Fusiliers of Canada

• Colonel-in-chief of the Queen's York Rangers

• Colonel-in-chief of the Royal New Zealand Army Logistic Regiment

• Honorary air commodore of RAF Lossiemouth

• Commodore-in-chief of the Fleet Air Arm

Prince Andrew was also an honorary Royal Navy vice admiral, but it is unclear what will happen to that role.

What will happen to the military titles?


The military posts have been handed back to the Queen with immediate effect and they will be redistributed among other members of the Royal Family.

The Queen is head of the armed forces and honorary military appointments are in her gift.

The military posts will not be returned to the Duke of York.

What other patronages could the duke lose?


Although many charities relinquished their ties with him after 2019, Andrew was still listed on the Royal Family's website as being a patron or member of around 100 charities and organisations, including hospital trusts, cricket clubs and schools.

They included the Army Officers' Golfing Society, Berkshire County Cricket Club, Killyleagh Yacht Club, Horris Hill School in Hampshire, and the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust.

On Thursday it was revealed he had lost his honorary titles at Royal Portrush and Royal County Down golf clubs in Northern Ireland.

It is thought Andrew will still be known as the Duke of York


What else will change?


The Duke will no longer use the style "His Royal Highness" in any official capacity.

Will he still be called The Duke of York?


It is not known if the palace's announcement covers the Duke of York title but it's thought to be unlikely.

Royal commentator and biographer Christopher Warwick has previously told Sky News that while the Queen can appoint dukes, it takes an act of parliament to remove their titles "which wouldn't cover Andrew or the monarchy in glory".

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Prince William to Make Official Visit to Saudi Arabia in February
Prince Harry Breaks Down in London Court, Says UK Tabloids Have Made Meghan Markle’s Life ‘Absolute Misery’
Malin + Goetz UK Business Enters Administration, All Stores Close
EU and UK Reject Trump’s Greenland-Linked Tariff Threats and Pledge Unified Response
UK Deepfake Crackdown Puts Intense Pressure on Musk’s Grok AI After Surge in Non-Consensual Explicit Images
Prince Harry Becomes Emotional in London Court, Invokes Memory of Princess Diana in Testimony Against UK Tabloids
UK Inflation Rises Unexpectedly but Interest Rate Cuts Still Seen as Likely
AI vs Work: The Battle Over Who Controls the Future of Labor
Buying an Ally’s Territory: Strategic Genius or Geopolitical Breakdown?
AI Everywhere: Power, Money, War, and the Race to Control the Future
Trump vs the World Order: Disruption Genius or Global Arsonist?
Trump vs the World Order: Disruption Genius or Global Arsonist?
Trump vs the World Order: Disruption Genius or Global Arsonist?
Trump vs the World Order: Disruption Genius or Global Arsonist?
Arctic Power Grab: Security Chessboard or Climate Crime Scene?
Starmer Steps Back from Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ Amid Strained US–UK Relations
Prince Harry’s Lawyer Tells UK Court Daily Mail Was Complicit in Unlawful Privacy Invasions
UK Government Approves China’s ‘Mega Embassy’ in London Amid Debate Over Security and Diplomacy
Trump Cites UK’s Chagos Islands Sovereignty Shift as Justification for Pursuing Greenland Acquisition
UK Government Weighs Australia-Style Social Media Ban for Under-Sixteens Amid Rising Concern Over Online Harm
Trump Aides Say U.S. Has Discussed Offering Asylum to British Jews Amid Growing Antisemitism Concerns
UK Seeks Diplomatic De-escalation with Trump Over Greenland Tariff Threat
Prince Harry Returns to London as High Court Trial Begins Over Alleged Illegal Tabloid Snooping
High-Speed Train Collision in Southern Spain Kills at Least Twenty-One and Injures Scores
Meghan Markle May Return to the U.K. This Summer as Security Review Advances
Trump’s Greenland Tariff Threat Sparks EU Response and Risks Deep Transatlantic Rift
Prince Harry’s High Court Battle With Daily Mail Publisher Begins in London
Trump’s Tariff Escalation Presents Complex Challenges for the UK Economy
UK Prime Minister Starmer Rebukes Trump’s Greenland Tariff Strategy as Transatlantic Tensions Rise
Prince Harry’s Last Press Case in UK Court Signals Potential Turning Point in Media and Royal Relations
OpenAI to Begin Advertising in ChatGPT in Strategic Shift to New Revenue Model
GDP Growth Remains the Most Telling Barometer of Britain’s Economic Health
Prince William and Kate Middleton Stay Away as Prince Harry Visits London Amid Lingering Rift
Britain Braces for Colder Weather and Snow Risk as Temperatures Set to Plunge
Mass Protests Erupt as UK Nears Decision on China’s ‘Mega Embassy’ in London
Prince Harry to Return to UK to Testify in High-Profile Media Trial Against Associated Newspapers
Keir Starmer Rejects Trump’s Greenland Tariff Threat as ‘Completely Wrong’
Trump to hit Europe with 10% tariffs until Greenland deal is agreed
Prince Harry Returns to UK High Court as Final Privacy Trial Against Daily Mail Publisher Begins
Britain Confronts a Billion-Pound Wind Energy Paradox Amid Grid Constraints
The graduate 'jobpocalypse': Entry-level jobs are not shrinking. They are disappearing.
Cybercrime, Inc.: When Crime Becomes an Economy. How the World Accidentally Built a Twenty-Trillion-Dollar Criminal Economy
The Return of the Hands: Why the AI Age Is Rewriting the Meaning of “Real Work”
UK PM Kier Scammer Ridicules Tories With "Kamasutra"
Strategic Restraint, Credible Force, and the Discipline of Power
United Kingdom and Norway Endorse NATO’s ‘Arctic Sentry’ Mission Including Greenland
Woman Claiming to Be Freddie Mercury’s Secret Daughter Dies at Forty-Eight After Rare Cancer Battle
UK Launches First-Ever ‘Town of Culture’ Competition to Celebrate Local Stories and Boost Communities
Planned Sale of Shell and Exxon’s UK Gas Assets to Viaro Energy Collapses Amid Regulatory and Market Hurdles
UK Intensifies Arctic Security Engagement as Trump’s Greenland Rhetoric Fuels Allied Concern
×