What military affiliations and royal patronages did Prince Andrew have in Canada?

Prince Andrew arrives at Westminster Abbey Royal Commentator Afua Hagan says Prince Andrew's attendance of the coronation threatens to 'overshadow' the occasion.

After receiving the Queen’s approval, Buckingham Palace announced on Thursday 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 more than 3,000 organizations 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 Canadian government 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 military affiliations and royal patronages Andrew held, a number of them were in Canada.

THE QUEEN'S YORK RANGERS

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

Part of 32 Canadian Brigade Group, the unit traces its history 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

The Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada are an infantry reserve regiment in 31 Canadian Brigade Group headquartered in Cambridge, Ont.

Described as one of Canada's oldest infantry regiments, 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 The Princess Louise Fusiliers, 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 Canadian government lists six organizations of which Prince Andrew held a royal patronage as the Duke of York. They include:

With files from Reuters and The Associated Press