PRINCE Andrew is facing calls to give up his honorary military titles in order to avoid putting a “stain” on the history of the regiments with which he is associated.

The Queen’s son is accused of sexually assaulting a minor, with a case brought against him by Virginia Giuffre in the US. He denies the allegations.

His friend Ghislaine Maxwell faces spending the rest of her life behind bars after she was found guilty of five charges linked to the sex trafficking of minors. Andrew’s case has come under fresh scrutiny since the verdict.

It has led to calls from a veteran of the Grenadier Guards for Andrew to forfeit his rank as Colonel of the regiment.

READ MORE: Ghislaine Maxwell: What have we learned from her sex trafficking trial?

Julian Perreira, a former lance sergeant who served three tours of Afghanistan, told The Times the duke’s continued involvement would “stain” the regiment’s history.

Perreira said: “Being allowed to retain his role as colonel of the Grenadier Guards and other military titles, Prince Andrew will put a stain on the regiment’s proud history and will devalue the hard work of past and future generations of Grenadiers.

“He must step down immediately.”

The colonel role is one of nine honorary military appointments which Andrew holds in the UK. These include being an honorary Air Commodore at Royal Air Force Lossiemouth. He also holds four titles in Canada and one in New Zealand.

Their withdrawal can only come from the Queen.

Richard Kemp, former commander of British troops in Afghanistan, told The Times the Queen would put “her duty to the forces above any family considerations or personal views” should Andrew’s legal case go against him.

The news comes after reports that a sealed legal document that may free Andrew from liability for any alleged incident is expected to be made public.

Andrew Brettler, who represents the duke, had argued at a previous hearing that Giuffre had entered into a “settlement agreement” that would end her lawsuit.

The 2009 settlement agreement was reached between Giuffre, also known as Virginia Roberts, and Andrew’s former friend and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Brettler had previously told the New York hearing the agreement “releases Prince Andrew and others from any purported liability arising from the claims Ms Giuffre asserted against Prince Andrew here”.

US District Judge Lewis Kaplan, who is presiding over the civil case, is due to hold a video teleconference on Tuesday when a request by the duke’s legal team to dismiss the case will be heard.

Giuffre is suing the Queen’s son for allegedly sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager. She is seeking unspecified damages, but there is speculation the sum could be in the millions of dollars.

She claims she was trafficked by disgraced financier Epstein to have sex with Andrew when she was aged 17 and a minor under US law.

Andrew has denied all the allegations.