Prince Andrew will be permitted to keep his position as colonel of the Grenadier Guards, despite the fact that he is unlikely to return to public life following sexual assault allegations.

The Duke of York is the colonel of the British Army’s Grenadier Guards unit, which he took over from Prince Philip when he retired in 2017.

He is accused of rape, sexual battery, and sexual assault, all of which he has categorically denied.

Following his car crash interview with the BBC in 2019, he stood down from royal responsibilities, and there is minimal chance of him returning.

Military leaders, on the other hand, are concerned that his inability to execute public responsibilities will humiliate the troops.

“The Queen has let it be known to the regiment that she wants the Duke of York to remain as colonel and the feeling is that nobody wants to do anything that could cause upset to the colonel-in-chief. It is a very difficult, unsatisfactory situation,” a senior military source told a newspaper, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

‘How can you have a colonel who can’t perform the role? …You can’t have a colonel who can’t do public duties.’

They also stated that the duke’s position is not tenable nor sustainable, implying that it would be inappropriate to keep him given his inability to execute any of the roles.

The action indicates that the monarch stands behind her son, who has walked away from public life ‘for the foreseeable future’ after his connection with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein was exposed in 2019.

Other honorary appointments held by Prince Andrew include colonel of the Royal Highland Fusiliers, colonel-in-chief of the Yorkshire Regiment, commodore-in-chief of the Fleet Air Arm, and honorary air commodore of the Royal Air Force.

According to the source, top defense officials consider him “not appropriate” and that he “should go.”

The duke’s military postings remain “in abeyance,” according to a Buckingham Palace spokeswoman.

“The Grenadiers and all the Duke’s military appointments are in abeyance after he stepped back from royal duties for the foreseeable future in November 2019, this remains the situation,” a Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said.

Andrew, the ninth in line to the throne, is involved in a civil action in the United States after Ms Giuffre, 38, filed charges against him alleging rape and sexual assault.

He is also allegedly a subject of interest in the FBI’s continuing investigation into Epstein, and he is being sued by Virginia Giuffre for sex abuse.