Prince Andrew faces 'internal exile' if he loses lawsuit brought by Jeffrey Epstein sex abuse victim, says Sunday Times report

• Buckingham Palace is in discussions about what to do about Prince Andrew's relationship with the monarchy.
• Sources say he may be stripped of his royal title and exiled from public life, The Sunday Times reports.

Buckingham Palace is in discussions about what to do about Prince Andrew's relationship with the monarchy. Sources say he may be exiled from public life, The Sunday Times reports.

Royal courtiers may consider asking Prince Andrew not to use his title, the Duke of York if, he loses a lawsuit brought by Virginia Giuffre, The Sunday Times report.

Sources close to the discussions told the newspaper that the plans are being discussed to ask Prince Andrew to disappear from public life and would be sent into a form of "internal exile," should he lose the case.

Giuffre, 38, a victim of disgraced financier Jeffery Epstein's trafficking ring, alleged that she was sexually abused by the Queen's son three times when she was 17 and sought damages in a US court.

Prince Andrew, 61, and the Royal Family have repeatedly denied Giuffre's allegations.

However, it is thought that the recent conviction of Ghislaine Maxwell — who introduced Prince Andrew and Epstein — may make Prince Andrew's case harder to fight due to the established connections between the pair.

The Sunday Times reports that no official plans have yet been made. However, royal officials have noted that steps would have to be taken to protect and preserve the monarchy.

Speaking to The Sunday Times, the source said: "Andrew is still patron of a heck of a lot of charities and they would have to go as well. He couldn't go abroad because of the risk of extradition so there would have to be a form of internal exile. He would need to scale back on his housing."

The source also stated Prince Andrew has "disgraced" his title as the Duke of York.

A Buckingham Palace spokesman told the newspaper, "This is speculation and the comments are without foundation. We would not comment on an ongoing legal matter."

Prince Andrew and his legal team attempted to block Giuffre's lawsuit against him because she no longer lives in the US. However, this attempt was dismissed by a US judge, AP news report.

Prince Andrew's legal team did not respond to a request for comment from The Sunday Times.

This week a 2009 settlement agreement between Jeffrey Epstein and Virginia Giuffre, which could have bearing on Giuffre's civil lawsuit accusing Prince Andrew of sexual abuse, will be made public, according to Reuters.