Prince Andrew's Twitter account has been deleted

Visitors to Andrew's page are now greeted with the message: "This account doesn't exist."

In addition, the 61-year-old prince's Instagram account, which has the handle @HRHDukeofYork, has been set to private.

On the royal family's official website, Andrew's profile page has been updated with last week's statement about the returning of his patronages and titles and further content detailing his past work has been removed.

The news Andrew will be facing his legal battle as a "private citizen" was announced last week.

Buckingham Palace said in a statement: "With the Queen's approval and agreement, the Duke of York's military affiliations and Royal patronages have been returned to the Queen.

"The Duke of York will continue not to undertake any public duties and is defending this case as a private citizen."

The move came after it was confirmed Andrew will face a civil case in the US over allegations he sexually assaulted Virginia Giuffre when she was 17.

Giuffre has accused convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein - who died by suicide in August 2019 - and his one-time girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell of arranging and forcing her into having sex with the prince in 2001.

In December, Maxwell was convicted by a jury in US federal court on five sex trafficking-related counts, which carry a potential custodial sentence of up to 65 years' imprisonment.

Andrew has repeatedly denied Giuffre's allegations and his legal team recently argued to get her lawsuit dismissed, citing a 2009 deal and $500,000 settlement she agreed with Epstein.

However, a federal judge in New York recently ruled that the case could continue.