The City of London Corporation is drafting a new bill that would allow elected members to vote to remove Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's Freedom of the City of London honour, after he failed to respond to a request to surrender it voluntarily.
Background of the honour
The former Duke of York received the Freedom of the City of London in 2012 “by virtue of patrimony” as his late father, Prince Philip, was made a Freeman of London, which allows his children to inherit the status. Despite having all his royal titles stripped by the King in October following the release of the Epstein files, Andrew retained this honour.
City Corporation's response
A City of London Corporation spokesperson told the Mirror: “We are developing a process that would allow the Freedom of the City of London to be removed where appropriate, having determined that there is currently no effective lawful mechanism to do so.”
They added: “We understand why people want this matter resolved as quickly as possible, and we share that desire. The fastest and most appropriate approach is to put in place a lawful process that allows the City Corporation to make these decisions itself, rather than seeking legislation through Parliament. We are progressing that work and, if elected Members approve the new process, they will then be able to consider whether Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's Freedom should be removed.”
Motion of censure
His failure to respond to the Corporation’s request saw a motion of censure passed against Mr Mountbatten-Windsor in May. The City Corporation’s Court of Common Council said it considered his association with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein to be “wholly unacceptable and inconsistent” with the status and obligations of a Freeman of the City of London. The court expressed “profound disappointment” that the former prince had “not surrendered his Freedom despite being asked to do so”.
The City Corporation said its thoughts “remain firmly with the victims and survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and all victims of sexual abuse and exploitation”.
Arrest and investigation
The former Duke of York was arrested on his 66th birthday in February at his temporary residence of Wood Farm on the King's Sandringham estate in Norfolk, on suspicion of misconduct in public office. He was held for 11 hours before being released under investigation by Thames Valley Police. In May, it emerged that detectives investigating Andrew will consider allegations of sexual misconduct in their inquiry. He has not been charged and has denied all wrongdoing.
Other losses and potential succession removal
In 2022, he was stripped of the freedom of York. The government is understood to be considering new legislation to remove him from the line of succession, once police have finished their investigation. Such a move would require an Act of Parliament and the agreement of the Commonwealth realms. The prime ministers of Canada, Australia and New Zealand have previously said they would support the UK Government in any plans to remove Mr Mountbatten-Windsor from the line of succession.
