Prince Andrew’s Twitter account has been deleted just days after the Queen stripped him of his honorary military roles and HRH titles, as the monarchy moved to distance itself from the Duke of York, who faces a US civil lawsuit over alleged sexual assault.
The duke’s official Twitter page appeared blank on Wednesday afternoon, showing only a message that read: “This account doesn’t exist.” His Instagram page has been made private, although his Facebook page is still public.
His YouTube account has also been deleted.
A bio on the Twitter page used to read: “The Official Twitter Account for The Duke of York. Tweets sent by HRH are signed – AY.”
Buckingham Palace has also updated its website to reflect the prince’s new status as a private citizen.
Andrew still appears under the section “Members of the Royal Family”, but the list of what were his military posts and patronages has been removed.
The website also refers to last week’s major development, stating: “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.”
Under the heading “Supporting the Queen”, Andrew’s official duties, such as attending the Trooping the Colour ceremony and his diamond jubilee tour to India on behalf of the monarch, are referred to in the past tense.
The website now states: “An important part of The Duke of York’s role was to support The Queen’s work as Head of State.”
The Independent has contacted the palace for comment.
Virginia Giuffre is suing the duke in the US for allegedly sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager.
She claims she was trafficked by the duke’s friend, convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, to have sex with Andrew when she was 17 and a minor under US law.
The duke has strenuously denied the allegations.
