The City of London Corporation is developing a process to allow the removal of the Freedom of the City of London from Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, after he failed to respond to a request to give up the honour voluntarily.
No legal mechanism currently exists
The Corporation confirmed it is drawing up a new process because there is currently no lawful way to revoke the honour. If approved, elected members will be able to vote on whether to remove the freedom from Andrew, the former Duke of York.
A City of London Corporation spokesperson said: “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.”
Background to the honour
Andrew received the Freedom of the City of London in 2012 through his late father, Prince Philip, who was made a Freeman. The honour is largely ceremonial today, dating back to 1237, and is awarded to people nominated by City Corporation councillors. Recipients include astronaut Tim Peake and comedian Sir Lenny Henry. Andrew’s siblings, including the King, also hold the honour.
He was stripped of his royal titles by the King in October last year following the release of the Epstein files but was allowed to keep the City of London honour.
Corporation’s censure and public opinion
The Corporation previously passed a motion of censure after Andrew did not respond to a request to surrender the honour. In the motion, elected members described his association with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein as “wholly unacceptable and inconsistent” with the status and obligations of a Freeman. They expressed “profound disappointment” that he had not given up the honour, adding that their thoughts “remain firmly with the victims and survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and all victims of sexual abuse and exploitation”.
Public opinion toward Andrew remains low. According to YouGov’s latest royal family tracker, just 2% of Britons have a positive opinion of him, while 92% view him negatively – the lowest favourability rating recorded by the pollster.
Other honours lost and potential further action
The former Duke already lost the Freedom of the City of York after councillors voted to remove the honour in 2022. The Government is also understood to be considering legislation that would remove him from the line of succession once the police investigation has concluded.
