The City of London Corporation is working on a draft bill that would allow it to strip Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor of his Freedom of the City of London, despite previously stating that the honour could not be removed.
Legal Process Underway
Legal chiefs at the Corporation are developing a process to directly remove the Freedom without going to Parliament. A spokesperson said the authority is creating a mechanism to revoke it “where appropriate, having determined that there is currently no effective lawful mechanism to do so.”
Corporation members voted in May to investigate how to remove the Freedom after months of pressure. Mr Mountbatten-Windsor received the honour in 2012 via patrimony through his father, Prince Philip.
Background
King Charles stripped his brother of royal titles, styles and honours after details of his relationship with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein emerged. In February, Mr Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office over allegations he shared sensitive information with Epstein while serving as UK trade envoy. He was released under investigation after 11 hours in custody and has denied wrongdoing.
The Corporation’s original position was that it could not remove a Freedom granted by patrimony. A spokesperson had said: “We have carefully considered whether it is possible to remove a Freedom granted by patrimony and understand that we are not able to do so.”
Council Update
At a Court of Common Council meeting on Thursday, Deputy Marianne Fredericks asked for an update. Policy Chair Deputy Chris Hayward said the Comptroller and City Solicitor and City Remembrancer have produced a draft legal opinion. The “provisional gist” is that the current disenfranchisement process is “defective and defunct.”
The Court could pass an Act of Common Council to “confer the power of disenfranchisement on itself.” Other options are also being explored. Deputy Hayward said work is ongoing to finalise the opinion and produce a draft bill for the Policy and Resources Committee in September, then to the Court in October.
If members pass the Act, a further report will follow, presenting the opportunity to remove Mr Mountbatten-Windsor’s Freedom. Deputy Hayward noted: “The City Solicitor and the Remembrancer have both asked me to point out that this is a substantial piece of work with significant constitutional implications which need to be carefully considered by members.”
Deputy Fredericks urged the process to continue at pace, and Deputy Hayward agreed to share a month-by-month timeline. A Corporation press officer said the timeline depends on the procedure adopted and work required, adding: “We understand why people want this matter resolved as quickly as possible, and we share that desire.”
