It was always clear that the sexual abuse allegations against Prince Andrew would cause great controversy in the royal household, but it appears that the royal court has been on hold pending news of a trial. Since the allegations became public, Prince Andrew has been removed from his royal duties and has rarely been in the spotlight, and despite growing calls that he should be stripped of his royal title, there has been no announcement as to whether Prince Andrew will retain his royal title. Now, however, a swift action is finally about to be taken, as a lawsuit filed by Virginia Giuffre has moved forward.

This week, the U.S. judge presiding over the civil lawsuit filed by Giuffre, who claims that Prince Andrew engaged in inappropriate sexual intercourse with Jeffrey Epstein when she was a minor, denied Andrew's motion to dismiss the suit. It was the clearest sign in years of litigation that the public and royal officials' vitriol against Prince Andrew was going nowhere. The Queen immediately stripped Andrew of his HRH title and honorary military rank (he had previously been a regimental commander colonel of nine regiments). According to the Mirror UK, the move reportedly occurred after a 30-minute conversation between the queen and her second son.

While the royal family appears to be trying to stem the tide of bad publicity by bringing finality to the disgraced royal family, some argue that the move is still not enough. For example, the most famous title, the Duke of York, bestowed on his wedding day to Sarah Ferguson in 1986, remains intact and can only be taken away by an Act of Parliament. This is different from military titles or HRH styles, which can be taken away by the Queen.

However, according to the Daily Mail, the leaders of the City of York are currently trying to remove the title of Duke of York from Prince Andrew as well. Daryl Smoley, a senior member of York City Council, has launched a campaign calling on the council to pass a measure to strip him of the title. He said, "We are with all the victims whose tragic stories have shocked us all in recent months. Prince Andreu remains innocent until proven guilty, but Buckingham Palace and the government must consider the implications of these troubling allegations going forward. Stripped of his military role and royal patronage by the Queen, the Prince should also relinquish his title of Duke of York," Smalley was quoted as saying.

The senator compared it to the military, which has been pushing to strip Andrew of his honor in order to protect the reputation of the army. Smalley explained that protecting York's reputation should also be a priority, adding that "York's unique connection to the royal family and monarchs is an important part of our city's heritage and history and a source of great pride."

He continued, "I think many people in York are very upset that many of the titles associated with the military and other organizations have been removed, while the titles that actually tie the entire city of 200,000 people together have been retained."

Andrew's culpability has yet to be proven, but he will likely have to stand trial in the US later this year.

This is an ugly situation, and one that will not be easily resolved by the mere removal of his title. But for some of the public, stripping him of his title would at least be a step in the right direction.