After receiving the Queen’s approval, that Prince Andrew, the member of the Royal Family currently embroiled in an ongoing sex abuse lawsuit, had renounced his military affiliations and royal patronages.

The move comes after a U.S. judge on Wednesday allowed a lawsuit accusing Andrew, 61, of sexual abuse to proceed.

Virginia Giuffre has accused Andrew, who is the second son of Queen Elizabeth II, of battering her and intentionally causing her emotional distress while the late financier Jeffrey Epstein trafficked her.

Andrew has denied accusations he forced Giuffre to have sex with him more than two decades ago at a London home of former Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell.

Maxwell was convicted in late December 2021 of conspiring to recruit and groom teenage girls to be abused by Epstein. She plans to seek a new trial after a juror in her case revealed he was a victim of sexual abuse.

Andrew has not been charged or convicted criminally.

WHAT ARE ROYAL PATRONAGES?

Members of the Royal Family have lent their names to a number of charities and organizations, with Buckingham Palace stating that list a member of the Royal Family as their patron or president. These include charities and military regiments.

Having a royal patron or president serves in part to provide "vital publicity" for the work of the organization, Buckingham Palace explains.

The adds that a royal patronage also is granted by royal members who will either support the organization by volunteering their time or by making charitable donations.

Of the many Andrew held, a number of them were in Canada.

THE QUEEN'S YORK RANGERS

Andrew held the title of Colonel-in-Chief of , also known as the 1st American Regiment, a reserve armoured reconnaissance unit based in Toronto and Aurora, Ont.

Part of 32 Canadian Brigade Group, back to the Seven Years War.

The Queen's York Rangers have served in operations in Kosovo, Bosnia, Croatia, Somalia, Namibia, Cyprus and Afghanistan, the broader counter-ISIS campaign in the Middle East and Operation LASER, the Canadian Armed Forces' response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

ROYAL HIGHLAND FUSILIERS OF CANADA

are an infantry reserve regiment in 31 Canadian Brigade Group headquartered in Cambridge, Ont.

Described as , The Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada date back to the War of 1812 and have seen its members serve in the First World War and Second World War, as well as other more recent operations.

In 1998, Queen Elizabeth II granted the regiment a royal designation. Andrew also held the title of Colonel-in-Chief of The Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada.

THE PRINCESS LOUISE FUSILIERS

Andrew's served as Colonel-in-Chief of , a primary reserve infantry unit based in Halifax.

The regiment's roots date back to 1749 as a militia. Undergoing many name changes over the years, the unit received its first battle honour during the Northwest Resistance of 1885 and provided some soldiers to a company that was raised for service in South Africa during the Second Boer War.

ROYAL PATRONAGES

The lists six organizations of which Prince Andrew held a royal patronage as the Duke of York. They include:

  • , an organization providing funds for reserves, bursaries, cadet corps, mess facility upgrades and veterans groups. It received royal granting in 1975.
  • , which began in 1989 as an exchange program between the University of St. Andrews, Scotland and select Canadian universities, including Western and Queen's, in recognition of American amateur golfer Bobby Jones.
  • , described as the country's largest and longest-running air show, which is held in Toronto over the Labour Day Weekend.
  • The York Club, a private club in downtown Toronto
  • The Royal Colwood Golf Club, a private golf club in Victoria, B.C.
  • The Maple Bay Yacht Club in Duncan, B.C.

With files from Reuters and The Associated Press