Prince Andrew's court battle has yet to be settled, but that hasn't stopped many from distancing themselves. Recently, many of the "Duke of York" pubs in the U.K. are reportedly considering changing their names in response to the scandal.

Prince Andrew has been accused by Virginia Giuffre of sexually abusing her on three occasions when she was 17 years old, in connection with Andrew's friendship with Jeffrey Epstein. Prince Andrew denies the allegations and this month filed a motion in U.S. court to dismiss the civil charges against him. However, the federal judge with jurisdiction over the case denied the motion, and now, regardless of the outcome of the trial, the royal family appears to be trying to minimize reputational damage to others.

Last week, the Queen stripped Andrew of his honorary military title and HRH title. The Queen does not have the power to strip the Duke of York of his titles, but this must be done by Act of Parliament, and York City Council has petitioned to strip them as well.

Next, the Mirror reported that the Duke of York pubs are evaluating whether to change their names to avoid any connection to the disgraced royal family. The magazine writes, "Pubs across Britain are considering whether they should rename their establishments."

However, it is worth considering the fact that the Duke of York has only been associated with Prince Andrew since he received the title on his wedding day to Sarah Ferguson in 1986. The title of Duke of York has been conferred on royalty (generally young royals who are "reserve" heirs to the monarchy) since the 14th century, and has been held by 11 royalty before Prince Andrew.

It is because of this history that some Dukes of York pubs intend to survive this PR crisis and keep their name. George Cork, general manager of the Duke of York pub in Southwark, London, told the Mirror, "We have no plans to change the name; it's the Duke of York's title from the 1300s. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but he has nothing to do with us."

There may be pros and cons to changing the pub's name to avoid any association with the current duke. In any case, the fact that such talk is going on does not bode well for Prince Andrew's rumored comeback plans.