The duke’s official Twitter page appeared blank on Wednesday afternoon January 19, 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 Duke of York will no longer use the title of His Royal Highness in any official capacity as he fades away from public life forever.

His alleged victim, 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 of York vehemently denies the allegations.

Virginia Giuffre is suing him for allegedly sexually assaulting her 20 years ago, when she was a teenager.

A document made public on Monday showed convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein paid her $500,000 (£371,000) to end her claim against him and agree not to sue any other “potential defendant”.

Prince Andrew has consistently denied the allegations.

While the settlement with Epstein does not mention the prince by name, his lawyers say the deal means she cannot sue him.

The interpretation of the 2009 document, disclosed by a New York court, will form a central plank of the argument in the civil case involving Prince Andrew.

Ms. Giuffre alleges she was trafficked to the prince by Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, who was last week convicted of recruiting and trafficking young girls to be abused by the late Financier Epstein, who died in prison in 2019.

Ms. Giuffre’s legal team say the terms of the Florida settlement are irrelevant to her case against the prince – which alleges sexual abuse by the royal in New York, London, and the US Virgin Islands

In her 2009 claim against Epstein, lawyers for Ms. Giuffre said she was lured into a world of sexual abuse at his Florida home when she was a teenager.

They added: “In addition to being continually exploited to satisfy defendant’s [Epstein] every sexual whim, [Ms. Giuffre] was also required to be sexually exploited by defendant’s adult male peers, including royalty, politicians, academicians, businessmen and or other professional and personal acquaintances.”

That case never went to trial because on 17 November 2009, Epstein agreed to pay her $500,000 to stop it in its tracks. That deal had been confidential but has now been made public because of its potential importance to the Prince Andrew case.

In the document, Ms. Giuffre, also referred to by her unmarried name Roberts, agreed to “release, acquit, satisfy, and forever discharge” Epstein and “any other person or entity who could have been included as a potential defendant”

The settlement’s wording says she discharges the potential defendants from any US legal action, including damages claims dating “from the beginning of the world”.

The precise meaning of that wording is expected to be the subject of intense legal arguments in New York on Tuesday.

In filings to the New York court last month, Andrew B. Brettler, the prince’s lead lawyer, said of the settlement: “Epstein negotiated for this broad release, insisting that it cover any and all persons who Giuffre identified as potential targets of future lawsuits, regardless of the merit – or lack thereof – to any such claims

“Giuffre’s baseless claims against Prince Andrew… must be dismissed at this stage.”

In a statement, one of Ms. Giuffre’s lawyers, David Boies, said the settlement was not relevant to her claim and “does not mention Prince Andrew”

“He did not even know about it,” he added.

In a previous court filing, her lawyers said that the Epstein deal was “outside the four corners” of her action against Prince Andrew because it does not cover her claims against him.

Judge Lewis A Kaplan, who is presiding over the civil case, will hold a video teleconference later

According to Daily Mail, royal insiders have claimed there may have been a ‘lack of communication and cohesion between Andrew’s UK legal team and newly appointed US lawyer about how to move forwards.

And there is apparently deep concern at the way the duke’s well-paid advisers on both sides of the Atlantic have been ‘outwitted and outplayed at every turn in recent days by David Boies, the attorney employed by his accuser Virginia Roberts, now Giuffre.

Their attempts to avoid even having papers officially served have been both a legal and a public relations disaster, with Andrew appearing to play a game of ‘cat and mouse’ with Ms Giuffre’s legal team as he moves between Windsor and Balmoral to keep out of their way.

Lawyers for Ms Guiffre,  a sex trafficking victim of paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, a former friend of the senior royal, said they had delivered papers notifying him about the civil court sex case to his 30-room mansion at Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park.

They claimed that the documents were left with police guards at his Windsor home and emailed to his lawyers – and even released a photograph showing that papers notifying him about the case were posted to his home. Andrew disputes that they have been properly served.

Judge Lewis Kaplan, who is set to rule on Miss Roberts’s claims of rape, sexual assault and battery, which Andrew has always firmly denied, told his attorney, Andrew B. Brettler, last week: ‘Let’s cut out all the technicalities and get to the substance.’

Sources told the publication they think Andrew may be considering whether to continue to instruct his legal team at London-based Blackfords, who has been working on his defence for the past 18 months.

They are led by Gary Bloxsome, who has been widely questioned for acting so much to save the Prince’s reputation against Miss Roberts’s claims. One insider said: ‘It could be very counter-productive to change horses at this stage.’

But another source close to the duke warned: ‘The decision not to put out any kind of statement, even just to reiterate his denial of the allegations, has seen his reputation shredded in the court of public opinion. I think it’s highly likely we could see some movement on the duke’s strategy at least in the next few days.’

A further New York court hearing is due on October 13.

Officials from President Biden’s government reaffirmed the US and UK’s ‘close relationship’ when it comes to offering ‘legal assistance’ in criminal matters amid growing frustration over Prince Andrew’s refusal to engage with investigators

A US government official told the Sun: ‘The US and the UK have a close, productive and resilient law enforcement and mutual legal assistance relationship.

‘We remain in close contact on many active cases on a daily basis and will continue to seek assistance in criminal matters as we provide similar assistance in return.’

Prosecutors last year sent the British government a formal request, known as a mutual legal assistance treaty (MLAT) submission, asking for access to the prince so they could talk to him.

It was reported that Andrew remains a person of interest to prosecutors in the office of the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York . And as a person of interest, the Queen’s son is viewed at least as a potential witness – and questioning him would form part of the investigation into possible co-conspirators.

This comes after Virginia Giuffre, who has said she was abused by Epstein, filed a civil complaint against Andrew in Manhattan federal court.

Ms Giuffre, who used to be known as Virginia Roberts, alleges Epstein forced her to have unwanted sexual intercourse with Andrew at the London home of British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell – Epstein’s alleged Madame.

Ms Giuffre is now suing Andrew in a New York court for alleged ‘rape in the first degree’, sexual battery and sexual abuse, claiming she thought she’d be murdered by Epstein if she didn’t sleep with Andrew.

The Duke of York has strongly denied the allegations.

Earlier this month, the UK’s most senior police officer Dame Cressida Dick revealed she had told Met detectives to review the claims against the prince, warning: ‘No one is above the law.’

Ghislaine Maxwell has pleaded not guilty to charges that she procured teenage girls for Epstein to sexually abuse between 1994 and 2004. She is expected to go on trial in November

Epstein died in his jail cell in 2019 after being charged with sex trafficking.

Andrew has come under new scrutiny for his friendship with Epstein after the financier killed himself three weeks ago in a New York City lockupwhere he was being held on sex trafficking charges involving young girls.

The 59-year-old Duke of York said in a statement Saturday that he met Epstein 10 years ago and saw him infrequently, probably no more than once or twice a year, Sky News reported.

But Andrew acknowledged being Epstein’s houseguest “in a number of his residences,” according to the news outlet.

“At no stage during the limited time I spent with him did I see, witness or suspect any behavior of the sort that subsequently led to his arrest and conviction,” Andrew said in a statement.

Epstein avoided federal charges after pleading guilty in 2008 to in Florida to soliciting prostitution from a minor. He served nights in prison over a 13-month period as part of the sweetheart deal.

Andrew said it was a “mistake and an error” to see Epstein after his release in 2010.

He also said he had “tremendous sympathy for all those affected by Epstein’s behavior.

“His suicide has left many unanswered questions and I acknowledge and sympathize with everyone who has been affected and wants some form of closure,” Andrew continued.