Buckingham Palace said Thursday that Prince Andrew resigned his royal patronages and military titles and will defend himself in a sex abuse case pending against him in the United States as a private citizen.

"With The Queen's approval and agreement, The Duke of York’s military affiliations and Royal patronages have been returned to The Queen," a palace statement said.

What precipitated Prince Andrew's royal demotion?

Earlier Thursday, over 150 UK veterans signed an open letter to Queen Elizabeth requesting that she remove her son Andrew's military titles. 

The British veterans asked that the queen do so as a result of the reputational damage caused by the prince's association with Jeffrey Epstein, the late financier and prolific sex trafficker and abuser of young women.

Why is Prnce Andrew facing a sex abuse lawsuit?

Virginia Giuffre, an American woman, alleges Epstein trafficked her to Prince Andrew when she was just 17 years old. This month, a US court convicted Epstein's long-time partner Ghislaine Maxwell on sex trafficking charges.

Prince Andrew had attempted to have her case dismissed on the grounds of a settlement deal she signed with Epstein that saw her receive $500,000 in exchange for an agreement that protected those around him.

ar/sms (Reuters,dpa, AP)