Buckingham Palace announces Prince Andrew is stepping down from royal duties

Buckingham Palace announced on Thursday that the Duke of York, Prince Andrew, has relinquished his military and royal duties, in light of a US lawsuit he faces over charges of assaulting Virginia Joffrey.

"With the Queen's approval, the Duke of York's military duties and royal patronage have been returned to the Queen," the palace said in a statement this evening.

The statement confirmed that the Duke of York has no longer held official duties.

The latest decision came after a US judge decided that the civil lawsuit filed by a woman named Virginia Joffrey accusing the British prince of assaulting her when she was underage can proceed.

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