PRINCE Andrew was summoned to Windsor Castle for a face-to-face showdown with the Queen where he was effectively cast out of the Firm.
Her Majesty dramatically stripped the disgraced Duke of York of his royal and military titles during the hour-long summit ahead of his looming civil sexual assault lawsuit.
Andrew will no longer be able to use ‘His Royal Highness’ – and will face his US case as a “private citizen” meaning he can’t hide behind royal privileges.
And he will now likely fade from public life altogether after Virginia Giuffre accused him of sexually abusing her when she was 17, which he denies.
As he gears up for a life away from the spotlight, and his court battle, here are five key moments from the significant split.
1. Castle summoning
The Queen summoned her second son – widely considered her “favourite” – to Windsor Castle in a move to stop his sex assault case from further damaging the royal family.
Andrew looked ashen-faced as he arrived for the emotional conversation at around 11.30am on Thursday.
The 90-minute meeting saw the duke’s titles handed back to his mother just hours after a judge ruled he would face a court battle with his rape accuser.
Her Majesty is reportedly following the same model as she did for Megxit when Meghan and Harry ditched the Firm.
2. Lawyer ousted
Andrew turned up to the meeting accompanied by his lawyer.
But in a humiliating blow, solicitor Gary Bloxsome is said to have been forced to wait outside in the car park.
The monarch likely wanted to keep the discussion strictly for family members only and give her son a good dressing down.
However, it meant Andrew faced the Queen without his “inner circle of one” for moral or legal support.
3. Family orchestra
Prince William and Prince Charles are understood to have urged the Queen to strip Andrew of his royal patronages and military titles during the showdown.
Insiders claim the decision to reduce Andrew to a “private citizen” was one of the hardest in Her Majesty’s 70 years on the throne but she did so after earlier speaking with senior royals, including Charles and William, who encouraged her to act.
Wills was reportedly a key figure in the judgement, and helped his grandmother realise Andrew’s position was “grave”.
Both he and Charles are said to be in complete agreement that Andrew must go – and were “completely furious” after he “crossed a red line”, The Celeb Report exclusively reported.
A letter signed by Navy, RAF and Army veterans asking her to revoke his military appointments also piled on the pressure.
The historic decision followed talks within the family about the growing problem of the “Andrew issue”.
4. Concise statement
After their one-on-one meeting, the Queen made the news of Andrew’s departure from royal life official in a short and to-the-point statement.
In just 49 words, she ended any hopes he may have had for a public life within the Firm and declared his royal career well and truly over.
Andrew had already stepped back in November 2019 after his disastrous Newsnight interview during which he claimed he was unable to sweat.
But Her Majesty made things official on Thursday when she said he will “continue not to undertake any public duties”.
The concise and emotionless words seemed to make her position clear – that she simply wanted to get the job done.
5. ‘Marathon not a sprint’
After the devastating decision, Andrew vowed to defend himself against the civil lawsuit as a “marathon not a sprint”.
He had been expected to agree to an out-of-court settlement with Ms Giuffre, paid for from the sale of his £10million Swiss chalet.
Legal experts say it is his “least worst option” after a US judge ruled sex abuse claims should be heard in court.
But sources suggest that at least for now, the duke is going to fight it and not settle.
A full civil trial with a jury could see Andrew cross-examined about his sex life, links to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, and asked exactly what he did to his accuser.
Sworn statements from ex-wife Sarah Ferguson and daughters Beatrice and Eugenie are also a possibility.
