Prince Andrew's Twitter Account Deleted Amid Sexual Assault Lawsuit
Prince Andrew's Twitter account has been deleted amid his ongoing fight against a sexual assault lawsuit filed against him in the U.S. Just days after Queen Elizabeth stripped him of his honorary military titles and charities, the Duke of York on Thursday, Jan. 20, appeared to be stripped of his royal Twitter handle as well, with royal fans attempting to access his account being met with a message reading, "this account doesn't exist."
The royal's Twitter account, @TheDukeofYork, now bears no profile photo or header image. All of Andrew's previous tweets are also no longer visible, instead replaced by the message indicating the account no longer exists. According to CNN, Andrew's bio previously read, "The Official Twitter Account for The Duke of York. Tweets sent by HRH are signed – AY," however, that bio is also no longer visible amid the deletion of the account.
Andrew's Twitter account isn't the only of his social media accounts to be affected amid an apparent effort by Buckingham Palace to overhaul the prince's online presence. His YouTube page is also no longer accessible. Although Andrew's Instagram account is still active, it has since been made private. The Guardian reported that "it is understood that that" both the duke's Instagram and Facebook accounts are set to be "removed" as well, "but some accounts are taking longer to filter through." Buckingham Palace said in a statement to CNN regarding the changes to Andrew's social media accounts, "have been made to reflect the recent statement from Buckingham Palace regarding The Duke of York."
Meanwhile, Andrew's biography on the royal family's official website has also been updated to reflect his new status as a private citizen. At the top of the page there is also a note referring readers to the Queen's Jan. 13 statement that read, "With The Queen's approval and agreement, The Duke of York's military affiliations and Royal patronages have been returned to The Queen. The Duke of York will continue not to undertake any public duties and is defending this case as a private citizen."
The adjustments come amid Andrew's ongoing legal battle. Earlier in January, a federal judge denied Andrew's request to have a civil suit against him thrown out. The lawsuit was filed by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who claims she was sexually trafficked by the late Jeffrey Epstein and forced to have sex with the prince when she was underage. She's claimed that the abuse began after she began working at the Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida. Andrew has denied the allegations in the lawsuit.