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The Royal Family’s official website lists the Duke of York as patron of 119 organisations ‑ but many appear to have deserted him or, at the very least, removed references to his association with them. A source close to Andrew admitted: “He really just has a handful of patronages left.”

The prince, 61, stepped back from public duties “for the foreseeable future” in November 2019 after his car crash TV interview about his links to the paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein and claims the prince slept with a 17-year-old girl ‑ now called Virginia Giuffre ‑ allegedly trafficked to London as a sex slave.

He put his position as the figurehead of more than 230 organisations on indefinite hold while he entertained hopes of clearing his name ‑ but most have ditched him.

Most of those remaining are military units and charities ‑ or golf clubs perhaps worried they might lose the title “royal” in their names if they no longer have a royal patron. A small number of golf clubs have said they will keep him as their patron as he does not face any charges.

The Duke, who faced repeated criticism over business deals with oligarchs in Kazakhstan, has even been jettisoned by the British-Kazakh Society. He has been replaced by the former Soviet republic’s first president Nursultan Nazarbayev.

But that patronage still appears under Andrew’s name on the first of 12 pages of organisations, which the palace maintains he still represents. 

On the same page, Alderney Maritime Trust, which has disabled the part of its website naming him as patron, is still listed along with Berkshire Cricket Club, which said in May he was no longer its patron.

One youth charity listed as his patronage by the palace, Weston Spirit, has been defunct since 2008.

Others still listed that have long since publicly announced their decision to drop him include SickKids Foundation, a Toronto-based charity which announced in December 2019 that “His Royal Highness is no longer in the role of royal patron”.

Palace officials say they have insufficient taxpayer funding from the Queen’s £85.9million Sovereign Grant to be able to constantly update sections of the Royal Family website. Also, most of Andrew’s staff lost their jobs when he stepped down.

He does still retain several prestigious military appointments but his mother is expected to relieve him of those duties eventually. 

She is resisting pressure to remove him immediately in the wake of the news that he is facing a civil lawsuit in New York filed by Ms Giuffre, who is seeking damages for alleged sexual assault that could be up to £14million.

Ms Giuffre, now 38, alleges she was ordered by her then employer Epstein, to sleep with Andrew in March 2001, when she was 17 and he was 41.

The first court hearing is on September 13 when lawyers for the two sides are expected to join a phone conference call to discuss efforts to serve Andrew with the writ if he has not responded by then. 

He categorically denies her claim that they had sex in London, New York and the US Virgin Islands, and has insisted he has no recollection of ever meeting her.

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