The Queen was ‘saddened‘ at having to force Prince Andrew out of the Royal Family but backed Prince Charles in saying he had ‘run out of road‘, insiders have revealed.
Explaining why the monarch forced her son to stop using his HRH title in order to face his sex case in the US civil courts as a ‘private citizen’, a well-placed source said the decision had been ‘difficult’ but the Queen knew that she had no choice but to act.
Up until now, they said, the hesitation to strip the Duke of York of his remaining military and charitable affiliations – and quash any hope of returning to public life – had been down to a determination not to be seen to ‘pass judgment’ on the claims against him. Andrew has constantly denied the allegations.
But his recent failed attempt to have the lawsuit brought by Virginia Roberts thrown out of court on technical grounds, leaving him facing a jury trial in the autumn, meant that action had to be taken sooner rather than later.
The source said: ‘The hesitation up until now at Buckingham Palace has resulted from their determination not to be seen to pass judgment [on the allegations]. That is not their role and there are court proceedings to determine that.
‘But what has happened this week is that he [Andrew] is now in a world in which his name will never be cleared – whether he wins or loses.
‘Having a member of the Royal Family using their title as they go to court to defend themselves against those kind of allegations is obviously unacceptable
They added: ‘This week’s judgment meant that Andrew simply ran out of road.’
