Disgraced Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has failed to respond to a request to give up one of his last remaining honours, the Freedom of the City of London, and is now set to be formally condemned.
Despite having all of his royal titles stripped by the King in October, the honour, received in 2012 by patrimony from his late father Prince Philip, remains. The City of London Corporation wrote to him in April inviting him to relinquish it voluntarily, as a review showed it cannot be removed. However, he has not replied.
A City of London Corporation spokesperson stated: "We wrote to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor in April, inviting him to formally relinquish his Freedom of the City of London. Following his failure to respond, elected members of our Policy and Resources Committee have agreed to bring forward a motion of censure – a formal expression of our disapproval – to the next meeting of the Court of Common Council on 21 May."
The spokesperson added: "There is currently no effective legal mechanism to remove a Freedom. Our thoughts remain firmly with the victims and survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and all victims of sexual abuse and exploitation."
The Freedom of the City of London is a largely ceremonial role, awarded to individuals nominated by corporation councillors. It dates back to 1237 and originally allowed recipients to carry out their trade. Recent recipients include astronaut Major Tim Peake and comedian Sir Lenny Henry. The honour also allows recipients to walk sheep over London Bridge. All of Andrew's siblings, including the King, also hold the freedom.
Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on his 66th birthday in February at Wood Farm on the Sandringham estate on suspicion of misconduct in public office. He was held for 11 hours before being released under investigation by Thames Valley Police. The government is reportedly considering new legislation to remove him from the line of succession, where he currently sits eighth. His arrest followed allegations that he passed confidential information to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein while serving as a trade envoy. He has not been charged and denies all wrongdoing. In 2022, he was stripped of the freedom of York over his relationship with Epstein.
